Tribute to Sinead O’Connor appears on Irish clifftop ahead of her funeral

8 August, 2023

Sinead O'Connor performs onstage

A tribute to late singer Sinead O’Connor appeared on a clifftop in Ireland, shortly before the singer’s funeral cortege took place.

News that the singer and activist had died broke last month (July 26), after she was found unresponsive in her London home. She was pronounced dead at the scene, aged 56.

The update came one year after the death of her son Shane, who died by suicide. Currently, no cause of death for the singer has been announced, although the police have confirmed that the circumstances are not being treated as suspicious.

Now, a heartwarming tribute to the artist has been installed on cliffs overlooking the coast town of Bray, which is just south of Dublin. The message shows the words ‘Eire’, the Irish name for Ireland, and ‘Sinéad’ joined by a heart.

The installation arrived just before O’Connor’s funeral cortege passed through the Irish town, where thousands gathered and lined the streets to pay their respects to the influential artist.

Details of her funeral were shared yesterday (August 7), and fans were invited to say a “last goodbye” as the procession follows a route along the seafront in Bray, County Wicklow, and passes the house where O’Connor lived for 15 years.

Earlier this morning, the cortege began at the Harbour Bar end of Strand Road. Currently ongoing, it will continue to the other end of Strand Road, with a private burial ceremony to follow.

In an update shared by BBC – which is also sharing live footage of the procession – it was reported that thousands of people have been walking behind the hearse, some throwing flowers, some with their heads bowed.

It also stated that choruses of her iconic hit ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ could be heard all around, while applause remained constant. The busiest area so far is said to have been outside O’Connor’s former home, which overlooks the seafront.

People lay flowers and tributes on the hearse during the funeral procession of late Irish singer Sinead O'Connor, Aug 8, 2023
People lay flowers and tributes on the hearse during the funeral procession of late Irish singer Sinead O’Connor, Aug 8, 2023. CREDIT: Paul Faith/Getty Images

Encouraging people to take part in the tribute, a statement was issued last Sunday (August 6) on behalf of O’Connor’s family, asking people to line Bray’s seafront from 10.30am.

“Sinead loved living in Bray and the people in it,” it read. “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.”

In the time since her death, fans have been paying tribute to O’Connor’s legacy as a singer and activist by leaving flowers and messages at her former home, while other supporters have gathered to pay their respects at locations in London, Belfast and Dublin.

Streams of her music have also been reported as rising by 2,885 per cent following her passing.

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