Sinead O’Connor’s funeral as it happened: Bono and Bob Geldof among mourners at private service
Fans of the ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ singer have lined the streets for procession along the seafront in Bray, Co Wicklow
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Fans lined the streets of Bray, Co Wicklow, ahead of Sinead O’Connor’s funeral on Tuesday 8 August.
The Irish singer’s funeral procession passed through the seafront in the town where O’Connor lived for 15 years. Plans for her funeral were shared by her family, in a statement issued to Ireland’s public broadcaster, RTE.
Ahead of the funeral, fans packed out the Strand Road, leaving emotional notes of tribute and flowers for the singer by her former home.
After the public paid their respects, O’Connor was buried in a private service attended by close friends and family.
On Sunday (6 August), a large tribute to O’Connor appeared on a hillside in Bray, reading “ÉIRE SINÉAD” with a heart emoji between the two words, the word “Eire” being the Irish name for Ireland.
“We just wanted to take the opportunity to mark the moment with a bold statement that symbolises what she meant to this little country of ours,” Richard Seabrooke, executive creative director of The Tenth Man, told CNN in a statement.
Find out how the funeral unfolded below.
The Strand Road in Bray is now packed with wellwishers lining the seaside route passing Sinead O’Connor’s former home.
Many are holding flowers before the funeral cortege for the singer arrives.
President of Ireland to attend Sinead O’Connor’s funeral
The president of Ireland has issued a statement saying he is attending the private funeral service for Sinead O’Connor.
Michael D 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.”
Higgins continued: “The expression of both, without making any attempt to reduce the one for the sake of the other, made her contribution unique - phenomenal in music terms, but of immense heroism.
“However, achieving this came from the one heart and the one body and the one life, which extracted an incredible pain, perhaps one too much to bear. That is why all those who are seeking to make a fist of their life, combining its different dimensions in their own way, can feel so free to express their grief at her loss.”
Reporting by Press Association.
Crowds are standing on walls outside Sinead O’Connor’s Irish home as they pack the Bray seafront in Co Wicklow ahead of her funeral procession.
Fans were seen holding flowers and Irish flags while police attempted to organise the crowds.
Fans grow emotional as they gather to pay respects to Sinead O’Connor
Many fans grew emotional and were seen crying as they paid their respects to Sinead O’Connor before her private funeral.
Chief Imam to lead Muslim funeral prayer for Sinead O’Connor
The imam who will be leading the Muslim funeral prayer for Sinead O’Connor said it is “an honour” to be part of the occasion.
Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, an Islamic scholar and Chief Imam at the Islamic Centre of Ireland, met the star in 2018.
Al-Qadri said he was “incredibly grateful” for the opportunity to celebrate her life.
The imam said: “Today, I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead the Muslim funeral prayer for the daughter of Ireland, Sinead O’Connor AKA Shuhada Sadaqat.
“It is an honour to be part of this occasion, and I extend my heartfelt appreciation to the family for recognising and embracing her Muslim identity.”
Additional reporting by Press Association.
Fans sing ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ outside Sinead O’Connor’s home
Fans gathered outside Sinead O’Connor’s home in Bray, Co Wicklow, have started singing her hit song “Nothing Compares 2 U”.
First recorded by Prince’s band The Family in 1985, the song became a hit for O’Connor in 1990 and topped the charts in Ireland, the UK and US.
Sinead O’Connor funeral procession begins as coffin makes its way along seafront
The hearse bearing Sinead O’Connor’s coffin is making its way along the Bray seafront.
The coffin is adorned with blue flowers, with mourners throwing red and yellow flowers onto the roof of the vehicle.
The hearse is followed by a campervan playing her music.
Sinead O’Connor’s funeral cortege has passed in front of her former home in Bray, Co Wicklow.
Fans, who have been gathering outside the house since this morning, applauded and threw flowers at the hearse. Many are now following the vehicle as it makes its way down the seafront.
Watch below as Sinead O’Connor’s funeral procession passes through Bray, the Irish town she lived in before her death.
Sinead O’Connor remembered for her ‘otherworldly resonance’ in funeral eulogy
Sinead O’Connor was remembered for experiencing “more than her share of hardship and adversity” during a eulogy at her funeral.
Speaking during the private service, Imam Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri said: “Gifted with a voice that moved a generation of young people, she could reduce listeners to tears by her otherworldly resonance.
“One need only listen to her a cappella version of ‘Danny Boy’ or the traditional Irish tune ‘Molly Malone’ to know this about her gift. Sinead‘s voice carried with it an undertone of hope, of finding one’s way home.
“The Irish people have long found solace in song from the sufferings of this lower abode, and Sinead was no exception, and in sharing that solace, she brought joy to countless people the world over.”
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