I've seen a lot of folks posting tributes to The Pogues' frontman Shane MacGowan after his recent death, but this one especially stood out to me. Watch the Gardiner Brothers dancing to The Pogues' 1985 hit "Sally MacLennane." The terrific performance is a fitting tribute to the artist recently described by the Irish Times as a "rough diamond of the diaspora":
Born in England to Irish parents but reared as much in rural Ireland as on the streets of London, his creative imagination stretched from the broad majestic Shannon to the narrow streets of Soho, his mental map from the A-Z of London to deepest, off-grid Tipperary. Like so many Irish in Britain, his identity married the nation of his parents with the city where he lived: London-, Manchester-, Birmingham-, not Anglo-Irish.
He was a rough diamond of the diaspora whose imaginative input was key to the resurgence of Irish cultural confidence in the late '80s and '90s from Jack Charlton's football team dominated by British-born players to the international success of U2′s music, the films of Neil Jordan and Jim Sheridan, the plays of Martin McDonagh and the dancing of Michael Flatley and Jean Butler.
The Gardiner Brothers—Michael and Matthew—are American born Irish Dancers who are currently based in Galway, Ireland. They provide this bio on their website:
They have over 800 million views on social media, have won over 40 major Irish dancing titles between them and have performed to audiences all over the globe at their own corporate events and with the world famous Riverdance cast. They are known for their fast paced and rhythmic style of dance that they developed after training at the Hession School of Irish Dance in Galway, Ireland.
To see more of the Gardiner Brothers, check out their TikTok.
