THE IRISH EXAMINER
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'Our girl Sinéad', 'Rebel with angel's voice': Irish and global newspapers pay tribute to an icon

The death of the singer at the age of 56 was announced yesterday.
8.03am, 27 Jul 2023
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TRIBUTES HAVE CONTINUED to pour in for Sinéad O’Connor, whose death at the age of 56 was announced yesterday. 

The legendary singer was one of this country’s most internationally famous musicians and was much-loved at home and abroad.

She was propelled to international stardom in 1990 with her version of Nothing Compares 2 U. Written by Prince, Sinéad made the ballad her own and topped the charts around the world.

She released a further eight studio albums, the latest being 2014’s I’m Not Bossy, I’m The Boss.

Fellow musicians, composers and friends have remembered the Dublin-born entertainer, who was described as “a warrior poet” by one collaborator.

President Michael D Higgins led political tributes to the beloved singer yesterday, offering his condolences to her father, John, her other family members and “all those with whom she shared her life”.

He described her as one of Ireland’s “greatest and most gifted composers, songwriters and performers of recent decades, one who had a unique talent and extraordinary connection with her audience, all of whom held such love and warmth for her”.

The Irish newspapers all pay tribute to Sinéad on their front pages today, with international papers also leading with the singer’s death. 

The Irish Examiner carries a striking image of Sinéad on its front page. In its obituary, it describes her as “A child of Ireland, Our girl, Sinéad, Our beloved friend”.

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The Irish Independent also dedicates its front page to Sinéad with a black and white image of her wearing a ring with the word ‘Mum’ on it. “In her music, Sinéad evoked the pain, hidden and overt, of Ireland and its people. She was part of us,” the front page reads.

“Vulnerable, powerful and pure” is the message on the front of the Irish Daily Mail, accompanying a colour photo of Sinéad in her younger years. 

Inside, an obituary describes her as “fearless and vulnerable in equal measure” and says that “integrity was not something she acquired, it was the very fabric of her”. 

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The Irish Daily Star carries four images of Sinéad on its front page, including one of her ripping up a photograph of Pope John Paul II while appearing as a guest on Saturday Night Live. “Rebel with angel’s voice” is how the newspaper describes her.

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“Nothing compared to you, Sinead”, the Irish Daily Mirror says, in a nod to her most famous song. The front page is entirely taken up with a black and white photo of her in her younger years. 

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A black and white photograph of Sinéad performing on stage at the Olympic Ballroom in 1988 features on the front of The Irish Times. 

In an obituary, Hugh Linehan writes that “from the earliest stages of her musical career, she announced herself as a new and very different sort of female artist in a music scene defined and controlled by male expectations.”

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Many of the UK newspapers also pay tribute to Sinéad on their front pages.

The Daily Mirror and Daily Star opt for the same headline over pictures of Sinéad, referencing her biggest hit as they simply say “Nothing Compared”.

An image of the singer is prominently featured on the front page of The Guardian.

The Metro also gives over much of its front page to an image of Sinéad, with the paper highlighting how her death came 18 months after the death of her son, Shane.

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The Independent carries the same image of Sinéad, with the words: “Beyond compare”.

With reporting from Press Association

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