According to rollingstone.com, fans gathered on the streets of Bray, Ireland to pay their respects to the late Sinéad O’Connor on August 8. The coastal town is the location of O’Connor’s family home in Ireland and as an old tradition, the singer’s coffin was first carried past her former home.
Several fans left handwritten notes and tributes at the artist‘s former home which includes signs that read “Black Lives Matter,” “Gay Pride” and “Refugees Welcome. Also one note read “Thanks for your short special life. “Gone too soon.”
Others fans were abuse survivors who wanted to pay tribute to O’Connor for advocating and sharing her own traumatic experiences. Dave Sharp told The Times that he had spent years in care homes and been the victim of abuse. Sharp had traveled to Bray from Glasgow on August 7.
“We didn’t have much notice, but I’d promised myself that I’d be there for her. Sinéad O’Connor is one of the bravest women I’ve ever known of. She not only put her life and career on the line, but she was ahead of her time.” said Sharp.
The funeral passed O’Connor‘s home around noon, which was followed by a private memorial service. Motorcycles were leading the cortege toward the home, the procession halted and several people gathered and tossed flowers on the hearse. Thousands gathered to pay their respects.
O’Connor was found unresponsive at her London home on July 26. A cause of death has not been provided. In 2018 the singer converted to Islam and received a Muslim burial on August 8. While the funeral was private, O’Connor’s family invited the public to Bray to pay their respects.
“Sinéad loved living in Bray and the people in it. With this procession, her family would like to acknowledge the outpouring of love for her from the people of Wicklow (county) and beyond, since she left … to go to another place.” said O’Connor’s family.
O’Connor’s funeral was conducted by Sheikh Umar Al-Qadri, who is an Islamic scholar and chief imam at the Islamic Center of Ireland. Al-Qadri shared his eulogy following the ceremony.
“Gifted with a voice that moved a generation of young people, she could reduce listeners to tears by her otherworldly resonance. One need only listen to her a cappella version of ‘O Danny Boy’ or the traditional Irish tune ‘Molly Malone’ to know this about her gift. Sinead’s voice carried with it an undertone of hope, of finding one’s way home. The Irish people have long found solace in song from the sufferings of this lower abode, and Sinead was no exception, and in sharing that solace, she brought joy to countless people the world over.”
Al-Qadri also spoke about O’Connor’s faith: “Sinéad suffered more than her share of hardship and adversity, especially in her formative years, much of it from adults and institutions she revered, and yet she displayed an unflinching and resolute faith in the divine,”
The president of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, attended the funeral with his wife, Sabrina. In a statement on August 8, Higgins described the “profound impact” O’Connor had had on the Irish people. The president also lauded the singer for her “immense heroism.”
“That is why all those who are seeking to make a fist of their life, combining its different dimensions in their own way, can feel so free to express their grief at her loss.” said Higgins.
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