Gentle but tortured soul finally at rest.
She was a very gifted musician with an awful trauma complex that defined her life and personhood. She contributed so much to the world, and was a diamond in the music world's rough. And no person at all should lose a child (with the possible exception of an extremely elderly person whose son or daughter lives a full, unabridged life in their own right; even then, it's no less painful for that person in their, say, 90s or 100s).
I have a substantial taste for traditional folk music, and an album I believe is culturally successful is that of
Sean-Nós Nua, which O'Connor released in 2002, of traditional Irish tunes. One of my favorite songs from that album is "Óró Sé do Bheatha 'Bhaile", a traditional Irish war song (shown below). By releasing an album such as this, it is my opinion that O'Connor was not only a talented musician, but also a full appreciator of music history and its roots. She was willing to take risks with her musical direction and creativity, as well as her music career (as evidenced by her fiasco on SNL). This folk album risk excellently paid off, in my subjective opinion, and furthered, as intended, highly important folk traditions via music that can often be lost or overlooked. Another risk she took was making a reggae album titled
Throw Down Your Arms, which I thought was okay but missed the mark.
Another peer of hers from the British Isles is Morrissey. He's another fellow maverick, critically thinking, often-controversial spirit who has made his career from the music industry. He condemns much of the general response to Sinead O'Connor, because he perceives many of the mourners as having not cared enough about her in life, even having mocked and vituperated her; and are now overcompensating for self-serving reasons in death. I believe his take is worth examining and comes from a truly heartfelt and genuine standpoint.
MESSAGES FROM MORRISSEY
www.morrisseycentral.com
For someone to have the multiplicity of issues she had, it is easy to dismiss someone like her as "crazy", "dramatic", "bipolar", "unstable" etc., and to just not want to touch that with a pole of any size. If a person with these issues and carried trauma, yet with such generosity of spirit, was in your life and your community, how would
you act? Would you care about their perspective and make them feel fully human? Or drop them like a hot potato and rationalize that it's "not your problem"? Because if someone has problems that you do not understand or experience, and you are acutely aware of these unrelatable-to-you issues in their life, and they are of no threat nor encumbrance nor intrusion to you, is it really the right decision to turn your back in haste and judgement simply because they're "a little off" or "make you uncomfortable" or you "don't want to deal with that right now"? Is your comfort or convenience really more important than their crises and time of need?
Sure, you do not have to
prioritize their issues as your own, and you must leave enough room for yourself; and you definitely do not have to make such priority for a person who proves themselves to be threatening, abusive, or parasitic. But scoffing, malice, and carrying yourself toward a person in crisis as if you possess God's judgement can cause more ruination and trauma, and that's even more of a burden for them to carry in life when all they wanted was a friend.
And if you are this person in crisis, there is no shame in reaching out and confiding in someone; in seeking resources and experiences that can improve yourself, your outlook, your hope for the future, and that perhaps inspire others.
The world is now hollower and colder without you. Thank you, Sinead. People love you because nobody and nothing compares to you.
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