Phil Gaston is an Irish songwriter.
He was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, moved to London in the 1970s and later moved back to Ireland.
He was the manager for Shane MacGowan's first band, the Nips.
He wrote "Navigator" for The Pogues, "Tommy's Blue Valentine" for Pride of the Cross (a band that included future Pogues Cait O'Riordan and Daryl Hunt) and the lyrics for both "The Lights Of Little Christmas" and "Game Over" for Sean Tyrrell.
According to a posting in a discussion forum at pogues.com (see below), the Limerick Leader printed, in 2001, that "His work has been recorded by...Agnes Bernelle,...Ron Kavana, and has been included on albums alongside pieces from Sir Peter Maxwell Davis, Tom Waits, Wederkind and poet Adrian McGough."
I grew up with Philip younger brother Peter and have known the family for 40 years. I am sure that on the early possibly first edition of Rum Sodmy & the Lash the Philip was credited as the Producer of the Album.