Crowds line Bray seafront for Sinéad O'Connor funeral in Ireland

8 August 2023, 12:47 | Updated: 9 August 2023, 14:04

Sinéad O'Connor in 2020. Picture: Andrew Chin/Getty Images

By Jenny Mensah

Thousands have paid their respects to the iconic singer by lining the Bray seafront in County Wicklow as the icon is laid to rest in Ireland.

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Crowds have gathered to pay their respects to Sinéad O’Connor in Ireland today (8th August).

Tributes have continued to pour in for the Irish singer-songwriter, after the news of her tragic passing at just 56 years old was announced on Wednesday (26th July).

Now, thousands have come out to line the streets on the seafront in Bray, County Wicklow to bid farewell to the Nothing Compares 2 U singer as she is laid to rest in a private funeral service in Ireland.

Flowers, candles and even political banners were held as people awaited O'Connor's funeral cortege, with crowds singing her biggest hit among other songs.

People gather in Bray, Co Wicklow ahead of Sinead O'Connor's funeral procession

Crowds gathering outside the home of Sinead O'Connor to pay their respect. ❤️#SineadOConnor pic.twitter.com/suA18WYc9D
— Dave Keegan (@davepaulkeegan) August 8, 2023

Part of the crowd included survivors of mother and baby homes, Magdalenes - from the Magdalenes laundries in Ireland - as well as former foster children, who paid their respects to O'Connor and commended her for speaking up for them.

These women below held a banner, which read: "Suffer little children"

"And suffer we did in your care homes & orphanages".

Survivors of mother and baby homes, Magdalenes and former foster children gather to pay their respects to Sinéad O’Connor who “spoke up for us” #SineadOConnor pic.twitter.com/jrK50rkDv3
— Alison O’Reilly (@AlisonMaryORE) August 8, 2023

Sinéad O'Connor - who also went by Shuhada' Sadaqat after converting to Islam in 2018 - was outspoken about many injustices in Ireland and across the world, including the abuse in the Catholic Church.

The artist famously ripped up her mother's photograph of Pope John Paul II while performing on Saturday Night Live in 1992, which saw her widely criticised the time.

Fellow artists have also paid tribute to O'Connor since her passing, with Foo Fighters and Alanis Morissette joining forces to perform her 1987 Mandinka single.

Elsewhere, Fall Out Boy's Patrick Stump performed Nothing Compares 2 U on stage during a recent gig, while Tori Amos played not one, but two tracks from the singer.

Paul Weller also dedicated Broken Stones to the late singer during his performance at Y Not Festival this year.