Sinead O Connor RIP

breezy1985

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907334#Comment_120907334

Well very few except the masses of people it happened to and all the people they told and reported it to.

Did very know or did very few talk about it. Those are very different things.

kirk.

RIP Sinead

Something i only realized recently was how hard the struggle with life can be

Oscar_Madison

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120902707#Comment_120902707

That was a mighty place back in the day - Miss Calthorpe for music theory Saturday mornings 😀

RabbleRouser2k

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907694#Comment_120907694

Apparently, it was well known about Fr Sean Fortune. Folks in his parish would joke "you wouldn't be tying your shoes in front of that fella". Colm O'Gorman, who was raped by Fortune, spoke about that.

In that same town or village, where O'Gorman grew up, 3 or 4 young men, in their teens and twenties, took their own lives because of the rapes they suffered from Fortune.

Folks would threaten their children they'd be put in industrial schools if they "didn't behave".

Kids and teens in the late 70s, 80s and beyond were probably the earliest generation to rebel against the church. I think by then, the abuses were becoming more and more apparent.

There was a really interesting doc on Sky, Dublin Narcos, which noted how the really hard drug problem that emerged in the 80s, and never dissipated, the heroin and cocaine, was largely brought on by people self medicating due to the abuses they suffered in the church, where people were not believed, or told they were "making it up".

Many took their pain to the grave with them.

patsy_mccabe

http://www.youtube.com/shorts/mhGE5xSgq-4

...

Goldengirl

RIP Sinéad.

Nothing Compares To You 💚

FB_IMG_1690556753203.jpg

Sand Art on Tullan Strand, Bundoran, Donegal today by Sean Corcoran.

Goldengirl

Think this from Morrissey would be more appropriate..

" I am human and I need to be loved.. '

sligeach

I posted yesterday or the day before that Sinéad's last social media post was on 17th. The police were called on the 27th.

Sinéad O'Connor: UK coroner says ‘date of death is unknown’

https://m.independent.ie/irish-news/sinead-oconnor-uk-coroner-says-date-of-death-is-unknown/a1885139371.html

Her neighbours say she moved to London to "feel less lonely". But I don't know if it had the opposite effect. Her former husband and her son didn't live too far away from her apartment but again I don't know if that was enough.

Singer moved to London ‘to feel less lonely’ after son’s death, neighbours say

https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/music/news/sinead-o-connor-cause-of-death-snl-latest-b2383451.html

walshb

Been listening to and watching lot of her songs/videos. I used to dismiss her as being a bit of a shouter/screamer on a song, but she had a lot more than this. Really beautiful singer. Sublime control and flow, and I think as regards song-delivery and emotion, there were very few as brilliant. She had unreal stage presence/body language whilst simply singing. Singing with her was like an act, and art!!!

Airyfairy12

Im devastated over the death of Sinead O'Connor, her presence was just so huge and her personality, intelligence, kindness, vulnerability, wit, integrity, talent, humanity & charisma were such a unique and rare combination of qualities to have, especially today when everyone is so materialistic and self absorbed. I remember being really young and seeing her on tv, she did a quick performance and the second she finished singing the adds came on. My mam was watching it too and she said to me do you see how they cut her off at the end really quick & I asked my mam why they do that and she told me its because 'she could do or say anything, she's crazy' for years after she ripped up the pope everyone talked about her like she was some weird, embarrassing, crazy person & became known for being more of a spectacle than for her talent. Its awful and such a sign of the times but without her I dont think we'd live in a society where its much more acceptable to openly talk about corruption or horrible things that go on behind closed doors. In the 90's everything was brushed under the carpet and everyone was obsessed with what other think, noone wanted to look or act 'different' to anybody else because theyd be treated terribly but sinead didnt care, she just did what she wanted at a time when women especially could not do what they wanted & she gained so much respect for it from the right people. She was the original lefty woke, social justice warrior & with all her tragedy & trauma she still stayed true to herself and her beliefs. People like that are so rare.

Choochtown

There's no doubt she was a brilliant songwriter. eg. The lyrics of "Jackie" read like an ancient folk song and she wrote that when she was FIFTEEN!

But for me it was that voice that marks her out as an all time great and her interpretations of other writers material was simply astounding.

Sinead's versions of Streets of London, Chiquitita, The Foggy Dew, He (she) moved through the Fair, War, Don't cry for me Argentina, Lord Franklin ... (and yeah that Prince song as well) have never been bettered imo

gormdubhgorm

I am a bit mixed on the hearing of the death of O'Connor.

It is never nice to hear that someone has died. But at the same time you have to ask did she want to live?

I am not sure she did, so maybe she is now better off.

It contrast to Christy Dignam who has his own struggles and tragic background, but he wanted to live. He saw the value in life, he had cleaned up his act, sorted himself out.

Now I know there will be a lot of dressing up chat about Sinead being a warrior from the feminist angle etc, going on about how she was correct about the Catholic church and so on.

But to me a warrior never gives up they keep going. So I think the 'warrior' moniker some label on her, seems twee.

She was a very fragile woman beneath all that bravado. There seems to be little comment on the amount of bollocks Sinead spoke. She said so herself when she was alive, political views, commentary etc.

I never got all her pantomime religious stuff, became a priest for some out there Christian sect. Then became a Muslim. Before that she was Lesbian and then she said she wasn't, the woman was all over the shop. Searching for something, looking for attention. Four kids to four different men, it was not a stable life.

But when all is said and done all the bollocks will be forgotten about, and all that will be left is her music, and that fantastic voice for future generations. And the rest will be an irrelevance. Through the music she left behind she will live forever, and hopefully her music will be an inspiration to countless unborn generations.

briany

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909502#Comment_120909502

Yeah, it's not that I don't think you have any valid points, here, and that you're probably just trying to be honest about your feelings on the matter but there'll be plenty of time to look back on her life and times with a colder eye in the years to follow. Leave these few days until the funeral, at least, to keep it positive. Unless the person was really, really bad, that's what I think should be afforded to a person when they pass.

Then again, maybe she would have thought that wall-to-wall tributes and outpouring of love was just soppy cráp, so hey.

Sultan of Bling

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909583#Comment_120909583

That's one thing I'd love to know but will never find out.

What would she have thought of it all the comments and tributes over the last couple of days.

I'd say she'd have told some in no uncertain terms where to stick their tributes.

Cluedo Monopoly

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907334#Comment_120907334

Yep and people were very afraid to speak out about clerical child abuse in 1992. It was about the only way you could get "cancelled" 30 years ago. Young people will probably never understand the power of the criminal Roman organisation in this nation.

Sinead's actions and words were heroic.

Lavinia

Saw her 3 years ago in Vicar street venue.. she was amazing... RIP and thank you ....................

TooTired123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909221#Comment_120909221

I’d appreciate it alot if you could point out anything I said in this point that could be interpreted as my “attacking” Sinead over her mental illness.

Even 1 sentence or expression will do. Thank you.

Cluedo Monopoly

I am pretty sure they will do a movie some day about our Sinead. There is a lot to work with.

I also loved her appearance in the Butcher Boy.

sligeach

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907220#Comment_120907220

Thumbs up, I really like that version. Never heard that before, but I give Sinéad the edge because of her voice. If you could mix Sinéad's singing in with that, it would be the perfect combination.

nullzero

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909502#Comment_120909502

If we had to boil her down to a soundbite, I think we could say her heart was always in the right place but her head often wasn't.

Airyfairy12

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120909502#Comment_120909502

I think its really important to understand the very large role that mental health played throughout her life. She came from a very abusive home and as a result had no sense of self and was deeply traumatised. Many people with trauma turn to drugs & alcohol, Sinead turned to music & religion. She was a very intelligent person who loved learning. It genuinely wouldn't surprise me if she was on the Autism spectrum or had ADHD, she was without a doubt neurodivergent in my opinion. We know allot more about the neurodivergent brain these days than people did in the 80's, 90's and early 2000's. With that said, she could never have been expected to fit into a box, she was always going to dance to the beat of her own drum. If she was ever looking for attention it was a direct result of her upbringing which also would have effected her attachment to people & her relationships throughout her life and she had so much tragedy throughout her life with multiple divorces, the abuse she endured growing up, the sudden death of her mother at 18, her difficult relationship with the music industry & the media, her hysterectomy & the death of her teenage son through suicide. She struggled with loneliness throughout her life and bipolar disorder but still managed to hold herself together for the most part. Unless you had to deal with serious mental health issues you'll never understand the struggle someone goes through.

I had mixed feelings towards Sinead so I don't want to be a hypocrite now.

Her death left me feeling teary eyed. God's love her. I hope she finds peace in the world she has gone to.

Goldengirl

...

Kaybaykwah

Sad news, great voice.

One great song she collaborated on was "Kingdom of Rain" with The The’s Matt Johnson. Super stuff.

Shelfie

Everyone who was anyone in the early 90s wanted to work with Sinead including Peter Gabriel, Terry Hall, The Edge, Willie Nelson, Mary J Blige…. The list is incredible actually. The knew how unique she was.

Even her later albums were brilliant, the quality never faltered. The voice kept its power although it did change over time.

The coverage on sky and bbc news has been extensive with hundreds of articles written.

She was an artist first and foremost, one of the greatest Irish artists ever. She will rightly be remembered as such.

I saw her in Vicar Street in 2019. I’ll never forget it. One of the best gigs of my life.

the music will speak for itself over the decades to come.

Gregor Samsa

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120905209#Comment_120905209

On the subject of the pisstake in Fr. Ted, I came across this in an article by a friend of hers from The Guardian this morning:

“I can’t even begin to express how much she loved Father Ted. It’s like it was made for her: a comedy based around three dysfunctional priests in remote rural Ireland. Friday night was Father Ted night, takeaway curry, cold beers, and a bag full of chocolate and sweets. There was an episode where Clare Grogan plays a feminist singer who sings a song called Women Rule the Land of Tir Na Nog, clearly a well-meaning pisstake of Sinead. She loved it.”

https://www.theguardian.com/music/2023/jul/28/falling-in-love-the-sinead-oconnor-i-knew

RetroEncabulator

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907334#Comment_120907334

I remember hearing some of the horrors when I was probably way too young to have heard them.

I was listening in at home one day when my mam was talking to a woman who'd been in a Magdalene laundry. She had a kid in my class at school and was over for lunch and suddenly just broke down.

She was unbelievably badly screwed up by the experience. I'm not going to go into the full details, but it included stuff like having had hair cut off, made do heavy physical work like gardening and laundry while heavily pregnant, baby taken off her with basically papers signed for her and she was effectively sold (found that bit out much later), locked up and saw a lot of really horrific stuff around how she was treated when she was pregnant and in labour and how she was treated after birth and what she saw too. She was still a single mother in the 80s, people were supporting her but she was embarrassed and clearly feeling she was an outcast for a long time and it was a world of snide comments.

She had stood up to them as best as she could, and she'd made her own life, gotten a council house organised and got a job and got on with it, but she was a broken women with serious mental health issues as a direct result of what happened to her.

Anyone trying to say that Sinéad O'Connor wasn't justified in ripping up a picture of the guy who headed that organisation really needs to give their head a wobble and look at what they're defending.

Whatever about your religious beliefs, what happened happened, people who claimed moral superiority presided over that for a very long time and and it destroyed a lot of people's lives.

Strazdas

Watching some of the live clips on YouTube, I'd forgotten just how good a singer she was. I wouldn't necessarily have been a big fan musically, but she had a stunning voice and sang with such power and emotion every time.

Definitely a unique talent.....I totally get the comparisons with Edith Piaf, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald etc.

Large bottle small glass

Sinead O'Connor's mental health problem and the destruction in would have brought to her life in terms of her relationships with those closest to her would have made her a really "bad candidate" to lose a child to suicide. It's at the extreme end of what humans endure and I suspect she was starting from a really low and solitary point.

To survive that kind of grief one needs good relationships with immediate family and close friends, but one also needs to grow to carry the weight of what is coming.

Grief like Sinead endured doesn't show itself at once, but reveals itself slowly one crushing wave after another and in all sorts of ways.

Nick Cave is an example of someone who has changed in a very positive way following the loss of his son and now sons. His work on Ghosteen and Red Hand Files is extraordinary.

I suspect he had stable family relationships and good friends around him compared to Sinead O'Connor.

Steve Earle is another example of an artist who has attempted to use music to deal with grief, writing albums for each of his two dead friends and also his son.

Lots of artists provide guidance/inspiration/relief to countless people but very often struggle with the day to day us more normal types take for granted.

EmmetSpiceland

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120907334#Comment_120907334

Well, everyone, for the most part, knew. There were very few brave souls speaking out about them pre-1994.

Sinead O’Connor was one of those.