Sinéad O’Connor: President of Ireland Michael D Higgins to attend private funeral service

The president of Ireland has said he is attending the private funeral service for Sinéad O’Connor on Tuesday (August 8) to pay his last respects to the legendary Irish singer who died unexpectedly last month.

Michael D Higgins said: “The outpouring of grief and appreciation of the life and work of Sinéad O’Connor demonstrates the profound impact which she had on the Irish people. The unique contribution of Sinéad 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.

“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.”

Since her death on July 26, people have been leaving flowers and paying their respects at the house, which the singer sold in 2021 and which now lies empty. A statement issued by her family said: “Sinéad loved living in Bray and the people in it.

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 Irish Grammy-winning singer was found unresponsive by police at her south-east London home, aged 56. A host of tributes have flooded in from fans and famous artists across the world in response to her death, including Russell Crowe, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper and Bob Geldof.

Several gatherings were held in the days after O’Connor’s death in Dublin, Belfast and London, where members of the public paid tribute to her legacy as a musician and activist.

O’Connor, who was born in Dublin in December 1966, released her first album The Lion And The Cobra in 1987.

Her second studio album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, followed in 1990 and contained the hit single Nothing Compares 2 U, which saw O’Connor top the charts in countries around the world.

The track earned her multiple Grammy Award nominations including for the prestigious record of the year category, as well as best female pop vocal performance and best music video.

In 1991, she was named artist of the year by Rolling Stone magazine and took home the Brit Award for international female solo artist. She released a further eight studio albums, the latest being 2014’s I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss.

In 2018, O’Connor announced that she had converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada’ Sadaqat.

Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri, an Islamic scholar and the chief Imam at the Islamic Centre of Ireland who met Sinead O’Connor in 2018, posted that he is “incredibly grateful for the opportunity to lead the Muslim funeral prayer for the daughter of Ireland, Sinead O’Connor aka Shuhada Sadaqat”.

He wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter: “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.”

The Strand Road in Bray is now packed with wellwishers lining the seaside route passing Sinead O’Connor’s former Irish home, with many holding flowers before the funeral cortege for the singer arrives.

A vehicle topped with speakers is playing music from her long career. There was a murmur of appreciation as Nothing Compares 2 U was played, with many singing along.