We're Sorry Sinéad, You Were Right All Along
Speak Out
“Stopped in my tracks” is how many have described their reaction to the news of Sinéad O’Connor’s death. I count myself in that group, and I was surprised by it. I wasn’t that into her music back in the day, and I’m sorry to say I wasn’t that aware of her many notable activist outputs either, aside from tearing up the picture of the pope.
What was familiar to me was Sinéad’s musical resurgence in recent years, especially her appearances on TV. Ireland had finally en-mass accepted her on this outing (rather than ridicule her) and she seemed to be modestly surprised at this notion. Perhaps it was the country’s way of saying “We’re sorry Sinéad, you were right all along”.
The flood of tributes on social media as the news broke was staggering. They pointed to John Creedon’s radio show on RTÉ One, where he changed the running order to play her music back to back in response to the sad news. I listened from London as he read out messages from around Ireland and the world, in what quickly became a kind of collective musical wake. It was a beautiful tribute.
Reading all the eulogies and stories about Sinéad since then have been an education for me. Listening to Black Boys on Mopeds for the first time floored me. Watching the crowd boo her at Madison Square Garden as she boldly told Kris Kristofferson that she wasn’t down had my jaw on the floor. Listening to John Creedon play Sister Sinéad by Kris Krisofferson had me in tears. I understand now why there has been such an outpouring of emotion.
Even though I somehow was unaware of these iconic events, I remembered her from those recent TV appearances, where her face exuded a superposition of fragility and strength, and where her voice, in singing and speech, continued to speak truth to power, despite everything. This is what had stopped me in my tracks. Her death wasn’t fair.
As that feeling of unfairness and sadnesses ebbs away, I now feel a tidal wave of anger in its place. I am angry that we ridiculed her for so long as a “mad woman” when she was right all along, about the church, and everything else. I am angry that as a society, we continue to discount and ridicule women’s voices and rights. I am angry for Vicky Phelan and all the 221 plus group. I am angry for all the victims of the mother and baby homes, and at the piss poor job of the commission. I am angry for Aisling Murphy and all the women that have been murdered. I am angry that there are 12,500+ people in homelessness, 3,700+ of them children. I am angry that there are racists that barricade refugee accommodation. I am angry that there are fascists attacking librarians and LGBTQ+ people. I am angry that the housing market has been wrapped in a neoliberal bow and gifted to foreign investment funds. I am angry at how so much of Irish society and Ireland’s services have been eroded and left to decay in recent decades. Most of all, I am angry that the Irish establishment continue with the age-old tradition of trying to sweep these angers under the carpet.
However, as the saying goes, anger is as useful as returning a kick from a donkey, so I’m left with the question of what to do with this anger. Perhaps the answer is to speak out, like Sinéad taught us to.
Sinéad lifted up the carpet and exposed everything we were hiding, on numerous occasions. Maybe continuing to speaking out is a good way to honour her and everything she did. Maybe it’s a good way to say “We’re sorry Sinéad, you were right all along”.
The Irish Times - July 27, 2023.
A tribute to Sinéad O'Connor above a report that the CAHMS child mental health service is “creaking at the seams”.