Sinead O’Connor honoured in ‘moving’ Bray funeral as fans line streets to pay tribute
Musicians, politicians and fans gathered to pay their respects to the late Sinead O’Connor as her private funeral was held in Bray, Co Wicklow, on Tuesday (8 August).
The Irish singer, who rose to global fame in 1990 with her cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U”, died in July aged 56. The cause of her death has yet to be disclosed.
On Tuesday morning, fans gathered to pay their respects and wait for the procession outside Montebello, the property where she lived for 15 years. She sold the property in 2021, and it has been empty ever since.
O’Connor’s life was honoured in a private ceremony led by Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, an Islamic scholar and Chief Imam at the Islamic Centre of Ireland.
Al-Qadri, who met the star in 2018, remembered O’Connor in his eulogy as “a voice that moved a generation of young people” who “could reduce listeners to tears by her otherworldly resonance”.
His speech was shared online, and he later described the service as “moving” and “spiritual”, reflecting both “her Irish identity as well as her Muslim identity”.
The ceremony was attended by fellow musicians Bob Geldof, a close friend of O’Connor’s, and Bono. Irish president Michael D Higgins and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar were also in attendance.
While the private ceremony took place fans gathered outside O’Connor’s former home, laying notes, prayer candles and flowers were laid outside the residence.
Roads near the home were closed and local public transport packed out as fans travelled in for the procession. The town’s Strand Road was soon packed with wellwishers, many of whom were pictured crying and holding flowers.
Many of the letters referenced O’Connor’s son Shane, who died by suicide aged 17 in January 2022.
“Thanks for your short, special life,” one note read. “Gone too soon. Give your lovely son Shane a hug for me in heaven. Have a nice long rest with Shane.”
One fan, Sara Mohamed, said she had travelled to Bray to pay her respects to the “Irish legend”.
"As an Irish Muslim, I felt that I should be here on behalf of my community to pay my respects to the Irish legend she was,” she said.
“I just think she was massively outspoken and she spoke for minorities who didn’t have a voice. And that’s very admirable and very brave.”
The funeral procession, led by a hearse bearing O’Connor’s coffin, then departed from the service. The coffin was covered in blue and pink flowers, with fans applauding and throwing flowers and Irish flags as it passed by her home.
A Volkswagen camper van decorated with the Pride flag and the Rastafarian flag drove in front of the hearse, with O’Connor’s songs playing from speakers mounted on the roof.
Fans sang along as her biggest hit, her 1990 cover of Prince’s “Nothing Compares 2 U” blared. Geldof also drove in a taxi as part of the procession.
Remembering O’Connor, Irish president Higgins said: “The outpouring of grief and appreciation of the life and work of Sinead O’Connor demonstrates the profound impact which she had on the Irish people.
“The unique contribution of Sinead involved the experience of a great vulnerability combined with a superb, exceptional level of creativity that she chose to deliver through her voice, her music and her songs.”
