Sinead O'Connor Had a Long Association with Hammersmith

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Singer had taken classes at the Irish Cultural Centre

Sinéad O'Connor. Picture: Facebook

July 27, 2023

The Irish singer and activist, Sinéad O’Connor, whose death was announced this Wednesday (26 July) had associations with the Hammersmith area going back decades.

Her first live performance outside of Ireland is believed to have been what was then the Hammersmith Odeon (now the Eventim Apollo) in May 1985 when, as a teenager, she was supporting James Brown and Simply Read.

She returned to the same venue in 1987 with Mike Joyce & Andy Rourke from The Smiths in her band and was already starting to attract attention due to the quality of her voice and the depth of her performances.

By 1990 she was on the cusp of becoming a major global star with Nothing Compares 2 U set to dominate the charts across the world that year. She played three nights at the Hammersmith Odeon as the headline act from April 23-26.

Her career didn’t take the trajectory many might have expected after this astonishing success and she was always uncomfortable with the trappings of fame. Ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II on Saturday Night Live in New York in 1992 limited her career options and struggles with mental health and addiction also intervened.

Even when not performing she spent time in London and is remembered fondly at the Irish Cultural Centre.

In a post on social media the centre said, “Sinéad was a true star and her originality and authenticity was an inspiration for so many young aspiring female musical artists. Sinéad was also a friend of the ICC and attended Irish language classes here in the late 90s.”

She played Shepherd’s Bush Empire in October 1998 and returned to what at that point was the Carling Apollo in 2003. One of her last performances in west London was at the O2 Shepherd’s Bush in December 2019.

She adopted the name Shuhada' Sadaqat on her conversion to Islam but continued to be known as Sinéad O’Connor professionally.

The 56-year-old’s body was found at her home in Herne Hill after the police were called. The Met says the death is not suspicious and an initial postmortem has not determined the cause of death. An autopsy will be conducted with results taking up to “several weeks” according to the London Inner South Coroner’s Court.

In a statement, Sinéad's family wrote, "It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time."

Her son Shane died by suicide aged 17 last year. Nine days before her death she had tweeted out a link to a Great Tibetan Compassion Mantra “For all mothers of Suicided children.”

Irish president Michael D. Higgins said, “What Ireland has lost at such a relatively young age is one of our 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.

“May her spirit find the peace she sought in so many different ways,”

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