Fans bid seaside farewell to Sinead O’Connor

PAUL FAITH/ AFP

Thousands gathered outdoors Sinead O’Connor’s former seaside house on Tuesday to bid farewell to the Irish rock star.

O’Connor died on July 26 aged 56 after police discovered her unresponsive at an handle in London.

Crowds gathered alongside the seafront at Bray, simply south of Dublin, clapped and cheered as O’Connor’s coffin handed in a hearse.

Driving forward, a classic camper van was decked out with a rainbow flag and blared Bob Marley’s “Natural Mystic” from audio system secured to the roof.

“I think she had the courage to say a lot of things that we all felt,” stated Gemma Byrne, 47, who took a 90-minute prepare from the city of Drogheda to pay her respects.

“She represented our transition from a very dark past into a hopeful future and I’m just here to say thanks for being with me along that journey, and for maybe putting words and expression on what I felt but didn’t quite know how to say.”

Two of Byrne’s mates held a big purple flag studying “Thank You Sinead.” Others stood with buggies and canine, some climbed up on partitions to get a greater view, and locals watched from balconies overlooking the strand.

One fan held a black-and-white photograph of O’Connor with the phrases “Fight The Real Enemy,” the declaration the singer famously made after ripping up a photograph of Pope John Paul II throughout a 1992 tv look on “Saturday Night Live.”

O’Connor’s music was performed from the VW van outdoors her former house, which has change into a focus for followers since her loss of life.

“Sinead loved living in Bray and the people in it,” her household stated a press release inviting the general public to collect earlier than her personal burial.

Irish President Michael D. Higgins and prime minister Leo Varadkar joined O’Connor’s household at a non-public funeral service, state broadcaster RTE reported.

“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 to go to another place.”

Tiana Kelleher stated she introduced her 4-year previous son Leon to indicate him what the singer meant to the folks of Ireland.

“Sinead O’Connor was a very sensitive soul but was very strong for other like her,” stated Kelleher, 30, who moved to Dublin from New York along with her husband Stephen final 12 months.

“She spoke to something that everyone who has gone through some suffering can relate to.”