Saoirse Ronan Fairytale Of New York: The Fallon Duet

This is Saoirse Ronan singing Fairytale of New York with Jimmy Fallon on The Tonight Show in December 2018, staged as an Irish pub lock-in. Below is the clip, who Saoirse is, and the story of The Pogues and Kirsty MacColl’s 1987 classic. I also cover the radio edit row and Shane MacGowan’s send-off.

Back in December 2018, this clip had been out for over a week before I got round to watching it.

The great Saoirse Ronan does a lovely duet with Jimmy Fallon on the Tonight Show.

We all know that this song is the holy grail for Irish people at Christmas time, and you know what, they did a fine job!

I will let the song speak for itself, enjoy!

Saoirse Ronan and Jimmy Fallon’s Fairytale of New York

The clip aired on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon on NBC on 4 December 2018. The official YouTube description bills it as a “Tonight Show lock-in, Irish pub-style”.

A lock-in is when the pub doors close but the drinking carries on inside. On the show, Saoirse explained it to American viewers as the Irish way to celebrate at the local.

Fallon takes Shane MacGowan’s part, impression and all. Saoirse sings Kirsty MacColl’s part.

The two stand by a piano, wrapped in holiday scarves. They lead the audience through the chorus and finish by raising pints of Guinness.

She was on the show to promote Mary Queen of Scots, which was out that month.

When she came back on the show in November 2024, she said any karaoke with Fallon would have to be Fairytale. Fallon said they “crushed” it.

Who is Saoirse Ronan?

Saoirse was born in the Bronx in 1994 to Dublin parents. The Irish Times reported that the family moved home when she was three.

She grew up in Ardattin, Co. Carlow, and in Dublin. Her first screen role was in RTÉ’s The Clinic, when she was nine.

She told the Irish Times in 2018 that she isn’t sure where she’s from. She’s just Irish. That will do us.

Four Oscar nominations

As of 2025, she had four Oscar nominations:

Atonement, Best Supporting Actress. She was only 13.
Brooklyn, Best Actress.
Lady Bird, Best Actress.
Little Women, Best Actress.

Who sang Fairytale of New York?

The original is by The Pogues featuring Kirsty MacColl. Shane MacGowan and Jem Finer, the band’s banjo player, wrote it. It appeared on the album If I Should Fall from Grace with God.

The Kirsty MacColl official site says the duet was first meant for the band’s bassist, Cait O’Riordan, with Elvis Costello producing.

After she left the band, producer Steve Lillywhite suggested his wife, Kirsty. She recorded her part with Steve at their home studio in summer 1987.

In the music video, the actor Matt Dillon played the arresting officer.

The story of Fairytale of New York

It’s a story more than a carol. An Irish couple in New York look back on the dreams they arrived with, and on how things turned out.

It opens on Christmas Eve in a police cell. Then the two trade insults like an old couple. Under the rows there’s still a bit of love.

That mix of hope, drink and regret hits Irish people abroad hard.

If you came looking for the words to sing along, the licensed lyrics are on Spotify and Apple Music.

A few things you might not know

Shane MacGowan was born on Christmas Day. The Pogues’ site gives his dates as 25 December 1957 to 30 November 2023.
Kirsty’s vocal wasn’t recorded in New York. She sang her part at home with Steve Lillywhite.

Why it was never a UK Christmas number one

The single came out in late November 1987. Official Charts shows its first UK chart week as 5 December 1987.

That Christmas it stalled at number 2, behind the Pet Shop Boys’ cover of Always On My Mind. It has never reached UK number 1 since.

Official Charts says it has returned to the UK Top 40 every year since 2005.

By 2017 its UK combined sales and streams had passed 1.4 million, according to Official Charts. That made it a million seller.

America never took to it in the same way. Billboard noted in 2023 that it has never made the Hot 100.

The radio edit debate

One word in the song has caused rows for years. It’s a slur in one of the insults, and I won’t print it here.

In 2007 BBC Radio 1 faded out the offending language. After listener complaints, it reversed the decision, the Irish Times reported.

In 2018, RTÉ DJ Eoghan McDermott raised concerns about the word. MacGowan replied in a public statement.

He said the word suited the character, who wasn’t meant to be nice, and wasn’t meant to offend. He wouldn’t argue if stations bleeped it.

In 2020 the BBC reported that Radio 1 would play only an edited version. It uses an alternative line Kirsty sang on Top of the Pops in 1992 and removes one word from Shane’s verse.

Radio 2 kept the 1987 original. 6 Music left the choice to each presenter.

Shane MacGowan’s send-off in Nenagh

Kirsty MacColl died in Cozumel, Mexico, in December 2000. Shane MacGowan died on 30 November 2023, aged 65.

The song went straight back to the top in Ireland. It was number 1 on the Irish singles chart dated 8 December 2023.

Billboard reported a big jump in UK sales and streams too.

The funeral

On Friday 8 December 2023, thousands lined Dublin’s streets as a horse-drawn carriage carried his coffin. The Artane Band led the way, RTÉ reported.

The funeral Mass was later that day at St Mary of the Rosary Church in Nenagh, Co. Tipperary. His family has deep roots in the town.

RTÉ listed President Michael D Higgins, Nick Cave, Aidan Gillen and Gerry Adams among the mourners. Johnny Depp and Bob Geldof were also there.

Nick Cave sang A Rainy Night in Soho. Shane’s sister Siobhán gave the eulogy and, the Irish Times reported, called it “some send-off”.

Then The Pogues played Fairytale of New York with Glen Hansard, Lisa O’Neill and John Sheahan of The Dubliners. The congregation joined in and people danced in the church. It ended in applause.

A private cremation followed.

Why it’s the Irish Christmas song

The Irish Christmas song happens to be about emigrants, a cell and a row.

Christmas in Ireland is about who came home and who couldn’t.

For more on how the season works at home, see my guide to Christmas in Ireland.

And here is the original song just in case you are not already in the Christmas spirit!

Saoirse Ronan and Fairytale of New York: FAQ

When did Saoirse Ronan sing Fairytale of New York?

On The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, aired on NBC on 4 December 2018, set up as an Irish pub lock-in.

Who sang the original Fairytale of New York?

The Pogues, with Kirsty MacColl singing the female part. It was released in late November 1987.

Who wrote Fairytale of New York?

Shane MacGowan and Jem Finer of The Pogues. Steve Lillywhite produced it.

Was Fairytale of New York ever a Christmas number one?

Not in the UK, where it peaked at number 2 in 1987. It did top the Irish chart in December 2023, after Shane MacGowan died.

Is Saoirse Ronan Irish?

Yes. She was born in the Bronx to Dublin parents and grew up in Co. Carlow and Dublin.

Saoirse Ronan Sings Fairytale of New York With Jimmy Fallon