Fans, friends, musicians and neighbors of Sinéad O’Connor, who died last month in London at 56 years, they sang, danced and cried to her songs, amplified from a dilapidated and colorful van that guided her funeral procession along the seafront in Bray, the town near Dublin where the singer lived for 15 years. Later, the procession of vehicles continued on its way to attend a private burial, as reported by the O’Connor’s familywho assured in a statement that the singer “loved living in Bray and its people.”
Before the funeral procession, O’Connor’s relatives attended a service private funeral of muslim rite, which was also attended by the President of the Republic of Ireland, Michael D. Higgins, and Prime Minister Leo Varadkar. The service included prayers from Imam Shaykh Umar Al-Qadri, since the singer converted to Islam in 2018 and she changed her name to Martyrdom of Sadaqat.
In addition to floral offerings and photographs, the residents of Bray today remembered with banners the vindictive character of the artist, recognized worldwide for her music, but also for the causes she defended, such as the Women rightsthat of minors and that of LGTBI community, among others. “The more she sang and he talked about his own painas well as the pervasive sins of society that he witnessed, the more his voice and words resonated with his audience, to which reached the heart“Al-Qadri stressed in his prayer.
The imam stressed that “all the faithful in the world“will now remember the”beloved daughter of Ireland“. And among them, he added, “the many Muslims who will pray for their sister of faith and humanity”. in a “Hall of Fame” and altar for the Irish.
“She meant a lot to me when I was young, her music, her first album, my first concert. I admired her so much because used his voice to defend refugees, the LGTBI community and to denounce racism“, explained Veronica, a woman the same age as the artist and who traveled from the west of Ireland at dawn to say goodbye. She wanted to pay her respects, “pray for her” and “feel her spirit” on a day when “she the sun has brought us” after several weeks of incessant rain: “Thank you Sinéad”, added Veronica.