Shane MacGowan’s 1916 rifle has been found, Victoria Mary Clarke reveals

Shane’s relieved widow Victoria Mary Clarke posted an update on her social media pages to let followers know the rifle had been found, after an earlier appeal when it went missing.

“I just wanted to say Shane’s rifle has been found,” she posted alongside a picture of her holding the weapon.

“I am so grateful to everyone who has helped,” she added. “Shane had asked his friend Joey to look after a few years ago in case it made me nervous to have it in the house!

The old weapon is a Lee-Enfield 303 and, given its historical significance, is worth a considerable sum of money.

Earlier his month, Victoria had posted how “Shane’s 1916 rifle has gone missing, most likely been stolen.”

The widow of the former Pogues frontman said the item was a treasured present.

“It was a birthday gift to Shane from a dear musician friend and it was used in the GPO, so it was historically significant.

"It was a Lee-Enfield 303 and it has H Munn etched on it,” Victoria added.

The Lee-Enfield is a bolt-action, magazine-fed repeating rifle that served as the main firearm of the military forces of the British Empire and Commonwealth during the first half of the 20th century.

It was the standard service rifle of the British Armed Forces from its official adoption in 1895 until 1957 and many were used by Irish rebels in 1916.

The old guns regularly sell for between €2,000 – €3,000 but given the significance of this weapon, its value would potentially be much higher.

"That's a horrible thing to have happened, Victoria. I hope you will be able to find it,” wrote one of Victoria’s friends.

"Hope You find it, Victoria. I trained on the .303 back in the day, with the Irish Reserves. It's a lovely bit of work. I would hope St. Anto might have a look for it, too,” wrote another.

"Hopefully you'll find it! I lost a cane recently and then found it,” said another.

Victoria recently attended an exhibition on The Pogues and Shane MacGowan which had its US debut in March, with an exclusive showing at the Bob Dylan Centre in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

They Gave The Walls A Talking: The Extraordinary Story of The Pogues and Shane MacGowan opened at EPIC The Irish Emigration Museum in December 2023 in Dublin, shortly after the death of the musician in late November.

The exhibition highlights the evolution of The Pogues, the rise of punk rock, and the role of the Irish diaspora on the British music scene.

It features contributions from family and band members including Victoria, Shane’s sister Siobhán MacGowan, Nick Cave, Imelda May, Glen Hansard and the family of The Pogues' original manager Frank Murray.

Victoria also recently posted a sweet throwback snap of herself with late singer Sinéad O’Connor.

"One of my favourite photos of Sinéad and you can see ⁦Shane⁩ in the background. I miss them so much!!!!!,” Victoria added.