Thousands of mourners paid their respects to the late Sinéad O’Connor today, as her funeral cortége passed through Bray.
The 56-year-old singer sadly passed away in London on July 26th, and a private funeral service was held for her on Tuesday morning – which President Michael D. Higgins, U2 stars Bono, The Edge and Adam Clayton, and singer Bob Geldof attended.
The funeral procession then began at the Harbour Bar end of Strand Road, before continuing along the seafront to the other end of Strand Road.
It also passed by the home in Montobello where Sinéad lived for 15 years.
Since her death, fans have been leaving flowers and notes at the house – which the singer sold in 2021.
Sinéad’s family invited fans to say their final farewells to the star in a statement shared over the weekend.
They said: “Sinead 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 Co Wicklow and beyond, since she left last week to go to another place.”
Sinéad’s death is not being treated as suspicious, but an autopsy was ordered to determine the cause of her death.
The results of the autopsy may not be received “for some weeks”, but her cause of death won’t be made public unless an inquest into her death is opened.
The beloved songstress, who shot to fame in the 90s for her cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U, is survived by three of her children – Jake, Roisin and Yeshua.
The news of Sinead’s death came over a year after her 17-year-old son Shane took his own life in January 2022, after he left a hospital in Dublin – where he had been admitted for care.
At the time, she wrote on social media: “My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God.”
“May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”
In one of her last tweets, which was posted on July 17, 2023, Sinead posted a photo of herself and Shane and wrote: “Been living as undead night creature since. He was the love of my life, the lamp of my soul.”
“We were one soul in two halves. He was the only person who ever loved me unconditionally. I am lost in the bardo without him.”
The musician, who changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat in 2018 after converting to Islam, released 10 studio albums during her career.
Her last public appearance took place back in March, when she was presented with the inaugural award for Classic Irish Album at the RTÉ Choice Music Awards.
Sinead received a standing ovation at the event, as she dedicated the award to “each and every member of Ireland’s refugee community”.
“You’re very welcome in Ireland. I love you very much and I wish you happiness,” she said.
In 2021, the songstress released a memoir called Rememberings.
The following year, a docu-film called Nothing Compares, directed by Kathryn Ferguson, was released about her life.
