Arts & Entertainment

Ireland bids farewell to Sinéad O’Connor, the singular rebel voice

Bray, Ireland, Aug 8 (EFE).- Thousands of people paid their respects to Irish singer Sineád O’Connor on Tuesday as her coffin passed through the coastal town of Bray, her home for 15 years.

Fans, friends, musicians and neighbors of the artist, who died last month in London at the age of 56, sang, danced and cried to the sound of her songs, amplified from a colorful van that guided the funeral procession through the town outside the capital, Dublin.

Afterwards, the motorcade continued to a private burial.

In a brief statement, O’Connor’s family said the singer had “loved living in Bray and its people”.

Before the procession through the small town, family members attended a private funeral service, which was also attended by Irish president Michael D. Higgins, and prime minister Leo Varadkar.

The service included prayers by Imam Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri. Sinéad O’Connor converted to Islam in 2018 and changed her name to Shuhada Sadaqat.

“I admired her so much because she used her voice to defend refugees, the LGTBQ+ community and to denounce racism,” Veronica, who is the same age as the artist and who traveled early in the morning from the west of Ireland to bid farewell, explained to EFE.

She wanted to pay her respects, “pray for her” and “feel her spirit. Thank you Sinéad,” Veronica added. EFE

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