As the world mourns the loss of Sinéad O'Connor, we invite you to listen to her moving and poignant performance on RTÉ's "The Late Late Show" 30 years ago.
O'Connor and other Irish celebrities were given makeovers on the special episode of "The Late Late Show" on March 26, 1993, when the legendary Gay Byrne still hosted the show.
The makeovers, RTÉ said, were to promote a fundraiser for the charity Cradle, which helps children and refugees displaced from the Yugoslavian war.
"Sinéad, any chance?" Byrne asked O'Connor, who was transformed into a 'goddess,' during the episode.
She replied with a smile, "Do I have a little song for ye?"
Byrne, clearly confident in O'Connor's talents, leads her to the microphone.
"Is it a different kind of a song because you look so different?" Byrne asked.
"No, I was going to do that, but then I decided I wouldn't," O'Connor said, soft-spoken. "I changed my mind."
Byrne, giving her space, said: "Alright, you're just going to do your own thing. Very good. Anything at all, Sinéad, that'd be nice."
Unaccompanied, O'Connor launches into a stunning version of "Make Me a Channel of Your Peace," which is also known as "The Prayer of St. Francis" or "The Peace Prayer."
The song concludes: "And in dying that we are born to eternal life."
You can watch Sinéad O'Connor singing "Make Me A Channel of Your Peace" on RTÉ's "The Late Late Show" in March 1993 here:
O'Connor's 1993 performance of the hymn feels particularly poignant in the days after her family confirmed on July 26 that the Irish singer-songwriter had died.
"It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad,” her family said in a statement on Wednesday.
“Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."
On Thursday, police in London confirmed that they were not treating O'Connor's death as suspicious, while the London Inner South Coroner's Court said that "no medical cause of death was given" and that an autopsy would be performed.
Tributes to the influential singer were swift and widespread.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a hanam. (May she rest in peace).
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