Touching tribute to Sinead O’Connor unveiled close to her former childhood home in Ireland as details of the late singer’s funeral are revealed
Sinead O’Connor has been honored with a touching tribute near her former childhood home in Ireland following her death at age 56.
The singer died on July 26 after being found ‘unresponsive’ at her home in East London.
On Sunday, a tribute to Sinead was unveiled at Bray Head in north County Wicklow, Ireland, close to where she once lived.
A short distance from Sinead’s house on Strand Road, a sign reading ‘ÉIRE SINÉAD’ and a white heart was placed close to the ‘ÉIRE’ World War II memorial.
The letters of the moving sign are each 30 feet high and the tribute was the brainchild of The Tenth Man bosses, in collaboration with mural specialists, Mack Signs.
Tribute: Sinead O’Connor has been honored with a touching tribute near her former childhood home in Ireland following her death at age 56 (pictured in 2014)
Moving: A tribute to Sinead was unveiled on Sunday at Bray Head in north County Wicklow, Ireland, close to where she once lived
Richard Seabrooke, Tenth Man’s executive creative director, said: ‘So much has been said about Sinead since her recent passing, I’m not sure what else there is to say.
“We just wanted to take the opportunity to mark the moment with a bold statement that symbolizes what she meant to this little country of ours.”
The late singer’s funeral will take place on Tuesday, with people invited to line the coast of Co Wicklow where she lived as a ‘final goodbye’.
The procession will travel along the coast in Bray, starting at the Harbor Bar and continuing to the other end of the Strand Road, before moving on to a private funeral.
He passes her former home on Strand Road, Montebello, where she lived for 15 years and where people have left flowers since her death.
The Irish Grammy-winning singer was found unconscious by police at her south-east London home on July 26.
The news of her death sparked a host of tributes from fans and famous artists from around the world, including Russell Crowe, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper and Bob Geldof.
In the days following O’Connor’s death, several rallies have also been held in Dublin, Belfast and London where members of the public paid tribute to her legacy as a musician and activist.
Location: A short distance from Sinead’s house on Strand Road is a sign reading ‘ÉIRE SINÉAD’ and a white heart
Memory: Tenth Man’s Richard Seabrooke said: ‘We wanted to take the opportunity to mark the moment with a bold statement that symbolizes what she meant to this little country of ours’
Vision: The letters of the moving sign are each 30 feet high and the tribute was the brainchild of The Tenth Man bosses, in collaboration with mural specialists, Mack Signs
Hitmaker: The Irish singer rose to worldwide fame in 1990 for her heartbreaking cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U (pictured O’Connor in the music video for the song)
A statement issued on behalf of O’Connor’s family on Sunday encouraged people to line the coast of Bray from 10:30am for a “final goodbye” to the singer.
“Sinead loved life in Bray and the people in it,” a statement read.
With this procession her family wants to acknowledge the love for her from the people of Co Wicklow and beyond since she left last week to go to another place.
“The Gardai have asked that people gather along the Bray coast from 10.30am if they wish to say a final farewell to the singer.”
Sinead, who rose to international fame in 1990 with her version of the hit song Nothing Compares 2 U, was also known for her fierce stance on social and political issues, such as the child sex abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.
After her death, her music management company, 67 Management, revealed that she was finalizing a new album, reviewing tour dates for next year, and also considering “opportunities” around a movie of her book before her death.
Erika Doyle, a councilor from Bray and a lifelong fan of Sinead, said there was a feeling of gratitude in the coastal town that they were given the chance to say one last goodbye.
“I was delighted to see the family refer to Sinead’s relationship with Bray,” she told the PA news agency.
Ms Doyle said people were ‘very grateful’ to be a part of her latest journey, and it would give locals a chance to say goodbye and express their grief.
Home: At the time of her death, Sinead, who changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat when she converted to Islam, was said to have spent her time between Ireland and London
“There have been many stories shared (by Bray residents) where people would have met her or befriended her or experienced her kindness,” she said, adding that she had coffee with her on the shore.
“I think that was important to her — she was treated like Sinead who lived near the beach, I think that was important to her at an important time for her. To be treated like Sinead, Sinead the mother, Sinead the neighbor.
“A lot of people in Bray saw (her talent) but it came out of respect rather than fandom,” she said.
“We probably still understand what she contributed because it was her voice, but it was also much more than that.”
Farewell: The late singer’s funeral will take place on Tuesday, with people invited to line the coast of Co Wicklow where she lived as a ‘final goodbye’