May she sing with the Angels!

It is hard to believe that Sinéad O'Connor has passed. I hope she will finally be free of worry, unlike in her life.

Childhood Injuries

Sinéad’s upbringing impacted her whole life, and especially her mental health. She described it in her autobiographical book entitled "Rememberings".

She was born in Glenageary in Dublin in 1966. In 1975, her father left and her family was split. Sinéad and her little brother went to live with their father, but they missed their mother a lot that whole time. So after a while they went to live with their mother. The whole thing was torture for Sinéad, as her mother beat the shit out of her over and over again. When she was just thirteen years old, Sinéad attended a rehabilitation center for girls with behavioral problems. She benefited little from that, however, and left the center after only a few years. She then attended boarding school in Waterford. During the summer holidays, she joined a band. When she went back to school, she left the band and ran away from the school and then got a bedsit for herself. In 1985, her mother died in a car accident. Sinéad was only eighteen at the time. Later in the same year, she signed a contract with 'Ensign Records', and left the country and went to London. The wide world knows what happened next!

Fame and Fortune

Sinéad received a Grammy for best rock performance in 1989, with her debut album 'The Lion and the Cobra', and that was just the beginning. When the song 'Nothing Compares 2 U' was released in 1990, she achieved international recognition as a singer, and the song went to the top of the charts around the world. The music video that was released with the song was also excellent, and still stands as a great example of that art. 'Nothing Compares 2 U' was nominated for three Oscars and 'Rolling Stone' magazine named Sinéad as 'Artist of the Year' in 1991. She has released 10 albums in total, with songs in various genres of music. from rock music to reggae music, from punk to traditional music.

Zealous Activist

But she was not just a musician, as she was an outspoken activist for human rights, who had no qualms about using her global platform to speak out without fear or shame against those who violate human rights.

Sinéad’s reputation was tarnished when she ripped up the Pope's picture in front of the world on the famous show 'Saturday Night Live'. She was showing her determination regarding the behavior of the Catholic Church, and in particular Catholic priests who sexually abused children. The ripping up of the picture caused trouble for Sinéad O'Connor, and she lost most of her fans in the United States as a result, even though she was absolutely right about what was going on.

But she was irrepressible, and Sinéad continued to speak out for those who were wronged, no matter how.

In Ireland, she built public support for people struggling with HIV/AIDS, at a time when it was heavily stigmatized. He spoke out for women's rights and also for immigrant rights.

The Last Track!

She had a difficult life, as she had constant ill health, both body (fibromyalgia) and mind (bipolar disorder). And worse for her than anything else, her son Shane died tragically as a result of suicide in 2022, and his death broke her heart.

On July 11, two weeks before her death in London, Sinéad announced that she had almost finished a new album (with only one track left). She has been working on the album for the past five years, her first album after her album "I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss" (2014).

Sinéad herself did not find any closure, between music and work. So, the best thing for us to do to find some sort of closure for her is to continue the fight for a worthy cause on behalf of the oppressed! She would want that, no doubt! I hope she will be able to sing with that amazing voice of hers, that was unbeatable, instantly recognizable, powerful and sometimes lonely, wherever she is!

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