Touching tribute to Sinead O’Connor unveiled close to her former family home in Ireland as details of late singer’s funeral are announced
Sinead O’Connor has been honoured with a touching tribute near her former family home in Ireland following her death at the age of 56.
The singer died on July 26 after she was found ‘unresponsive’ at her home in East London.
On Sunday, a tribute to Sinead was unveiled on Bray Head in northern County Wicklow, Ireland, close to where she once lived.
Just a short distance from Sinead’s home on Strand Road, a sign reading ‘ÉIRE SINÉAD,’ along with a white heart was placed close to the World War Two ‘ÉIRE’ landmark.
The letters of the moving sign are 30ft tall each and the tribute was the brainchild of bosses of The Tenth Man, in association with mural specialists, Mack Signs.
Tribute: Sinead O’Connor has been honoured with a touching tribute near her former family home in Ireland following her death at the age of 56 (pictured in 2014)
Touching: On Sunday, a tribute to Sinead was unveiled on Bray Head in northern County Wicklow, Ireland, close to where she once lived
Executive creative director of Tenth Man, Richard Seabrooke said: ‘So much has been said about Sinéad since her recent passing, I’m not sure what is left to say.
‘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.’
The funeral of the late singer is to be held on Tuesday, with people being invited to line a Co Wicklow seafront where she used to live as a ‘last goodbye’.
The cortege is to travel along the seafront in Bray, starting at the Harbour Bar and continuing to the other end of the Strand Road, before continuing on to a private burial.
It will pass by her former home on the Strand Road, Montebello, where she lived for 15 years and where people have been leaving flowers since her death.
The Irish Grammy-winning singer was found unresponsive 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 across the world, including Russell Crowe, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper and Bob Geldof.
Several gatherings have also been held in the days since O’Connor’s death in Dublin, Belfast and London, where members of the public paid tribute to her legacy as a musician and activist.
Site: Just a short distance from Sinead’s home on Strand Road, a sign reading ‘ÉIRE SINÉAD,’ along with a white heart can be seen
Memory: Richard Seabrooke of Tenth Man said: ‘We wanted to take the opportunity to mark the moment with a bold statement that symbolises what she meant to this little country of ours’
Vision: The letters of the moving sign are 30ft tall each and the tribute was the brainchild of bosses of The Tenth Man, in association with mural specialists, Mack Signs
Hitmaker: The Irish singer shot to stardom across the world in 1990 by her heartrending cover of Prince’s Nothing Compares 2 U (pictured, O’Connor in the music video for the song)
A statement issued on Sunday on behalf of O’Connor’s family encouraged people to line Bray’s seafront from 10.30am for a ‘last goodbye’ to the singer.
‘Sinead loved living in Bray and the people in it,’ a statement 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.
‘The Gardai have asked that people gather, if they would like to say a last goodbye to the singer, from 10.30am on Tuesday along the Bray seafront.’
Sinead, who was propelled to international stardom in 1990 with her version of the hit Nothing Compares 2 U, was also known for taking fierce stances on social and political issues such as the child abuse scandal in the Catholic Church.
Following her death, her music management company, 67 Management, revealed she had been finishing a new album, reviewing tour dates for next year and was also considering ‘opportunities’ around a movie of her book before her death.
Erika Doyle, a councillor based in Bray and a lifelong fan of Sinead, said there was a sense of gratitude in the coastal town that they were being given the chance to say one last goodbye.
‘I was delighted to see the family reference the relationship Sinead had with Bray,’ she told the PA news agency.
Ms Doyle said that people were ‘very grateful’ to be part of her final journey, and it would give locals the chance to say goodbye and to express their grief.
Home: At the time of her death, Sinead, who changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat when she converted to Islam, was thought to be spending her time between Ireland and London
‘There’s been lots of stories shared (by Bray locals) where people would have met her or formed friendships with her or experienced her kindness,’ she said, adding that she had coffee with her at the seafront.
‘I think that was important to her – she was treated as Sinead who lived near the beach, I think that was important to her at an important time for her. To be treated as Sinead, Sinead the mum, Sinead the neighbour.
‘A lot of people in Bray saw (her talent) but it came as respect rather than fandom,” she said.
‘We are probably still understanding what she contributed because it was her voice but it was a lot more than that too.’
Farewell: The funeral of the late singer is to be held on Tuesday, with people being invited to line a Co Wicklow seafront where she used to live as a ‘last goodbye’
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