Martin Quinn, a native of Bansha, Co Tipperary, has shared this emotional poem with IrishCentral as a tribute to Sinéad O’Connor, the iconic Irish songstress whose family confirmed her death on July 26.
“I wanted to write something which I hoped would capture the spirit of a wonderful singer, performer, and person,” Quinn told IrishCentral.
“Her death has left a great void in the world of music and performance and I hope that my poem is a fitting tribute to her.”
"Sinéad" by Martin Quinn
In red, in black, in colours hue,
The voice that moved both me and you.
The powerful words, the healing cry,
A heart of love, lost to the sky.
Never afraid, she spoke her mind,
Honest and forthright, and above all kind.
Shining a light on things unspoken,
Often admonished and feeling broken.
A spirit so strong, a faith so deep,
Carried her on, though the journey was steep.
The music, the songs, the laughter too,
The kindness of friends in the foggy dew.
The person she was, the family she loved,
The pain she felt in a difficult world.
A daughter of Éire, a beacon of light,
A singer of songs to make everything right.
A person remembered, in life and in death,
A firm believer of what awaits us yet.
The searching through time, the words oh so true,
That nothing, yes nothing, compares to you...
Sinéad O'Connor
Sinéad O'Connor's death was confirmed by her family on July 26.
Metropolitan Police later said that a 56-year-old woman had been pronounced dead at the scene after they responded to reports of an unconscious woman at a residential address in London.
The death, police said, was not being treated as suspicious.
No medical cause of death was given, prompting an autopsy to be conducted.
O'Connor's remains were released to her family in early August after the autopsy. John Thompson, the clerk of the London Inner South district for Southwark Coroners Court, said O'Connor's autopsy report may not be received "for some weeks."
The conclusion of the autopsy will be publicly disclosed if an inquest is opened into the Irish singer-songwriter's death.
Tributes to the 56-year-old Irish singer-songwriter were swift and widespread in the wake of her death.
A funeral for O'Connor was held on August 8. Thousands of people lined the streets in Bray, Co Wicklow to pay their final respects to O'Connor who was buried in Deansgrange Cemetery in Dublin.
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