Celebrities, fans bid farewell to singer Sinead O’Connor at funeral procession in Irish hometown

People place flowers and tributes on the hearse during the funeral procession for the late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor outside her former home in Bray, eastern Ireland, ahead of her funeral on Tuesday August 8, 2023. PAUL FAITH/AFP

BRAY, Ireland – Celebrities, fans and other mourners of singer Sinead O’Connor descended on Tuesday, August 8, in the Irish city that was her once home, to pay their respects at a poignant procession ahead of her funeral to prove.

Hundreds lined the path of the funeral procession that made its way along the seafront in Bray, 20 kilometers (13 miles) south of Dublin, where she lived for 15 years.

Many spontaneously clapped and threw flowers at the front of the hearse carrying her coffin, which followed behind a Volkswagen camper van decorated with LGBTQ Pride flags and playing her music.

“I came here today to pay my respects to Sinead, the legend she was,” Liam O’Neill, 56, from nearby Dun Laoghaire, told AFP from the procession route.

“She had a voice like a stone. She was extremely talented and brilliant,” he added, wearing a t-shirt with O’Connor’s face on it.

The Grammy-winning singer, best known for her 1990 cover of Nothing Compares 2 U, died last month after being found dead at her home in London. She was 56.

The musician, who rose to international fame in the 1990s, was also buried at a funeral attended by family, friends and dignitaries just before the procession, before a private funeral later.

‘Effusion’

U2 singer Bono, Ireland’s President Michael Higgins and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar were among those attending the service, while activist and pop star Bob Geldof was part of the funeral procession.

“The expression of sadness and appreciation for the life and work of Sinead O’Connor shows the profound impact she has had on the Irish people,” Higgins said in a statement.

Imam Umar Al-Qadri led a Muslim funeral prayer and described it as “an honor” to attend the occasion “for the daughter of Ireland”.

“May her family and loved ones find solace in the love from all corners of the earth for this unique daughter of Ireland, who has touched so many hearts with her powerful voice and unwavering honesty,” he said in the eulogy.

O’Connor converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat in 2018.

Her family offered the public a chance to bid her a “final goodbye” by organizing the funeral procession through Bray, saying she loves the town and its residents.

In front of the former house of the singer called “Montebello”, which the convoy passed, people left their tributes.

A message left on the goalpost read: “Sinead, thank you for listening to us and responding… I’m sorry I broke your heart.”

Others hung the Irish flag and pictures.

Mounted on a coastal hill overlooking Bray was a WWII pilot’s navigational sign in homage, spelling Ireland in Irish – ‘Eire’ – with a heart and ‘Sinead’.

“Lioness and a Lamb”

O’Connor’s death sparked a wave of public sympathy around the world and in Ireland, where her willingness to criticize the Catholic Church in particular was vilified by some and lauded as a pioneer by others.

“Besides being a fantastic musician and singer, she somehow instilled in people a need to stand up for injustice and for the different factions in society,” June Byrne, 73, told AFP as she watched the parade of the watched the funeral procession.

During her career, O’Connor revealed that she was abused by her mother as a child. In 1992, she protested the Church’s abuse of children by tearing up a picture of Pope John Paul II during an appearance on US television show Saturday Night Live.

Following news of her death, tributes poured in from political leaders, pop stars and others, many praising her powerful voice and willingness to bring controversy to justice.

Fellow singer Annie Lennox called them “a lioness and a lamb”.

O’Connor’s agents said she has completed a new album and is planning a tour and film based on her autobiography, Rememberings.

The musician has also spoken publicly about her mental health, telling Oprah Winfrey in 2007 that she struggles with suicidal thoughts and has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder.

More recently she had shunned the limelight, particularly following the death of her son Shane by suicide last year at the age of 17.

An autopsy was reportedly carried out to determine the cause of the singer’s death, which London police say they did not consider suspicious. /ra

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