Sinead O’Connor blames Irish government for the death of her son at age 17

The son of Irish pop singer Sinead O’Connor has died at the age of 17, with his mother blaming the Irish state.
Sinead O'Connor on Good Morning Britain in 2019Sinead O'Connor on Good Morning Britain in 2019
Sinead O'Connor on Good Morning Britain in 2019

Officers in Ireland said they recovered a body in the Bray area of Wicklow on Friday and their appeal for the missing teenager has been ended.

A Twitter account believed to be that of the outspoken ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ singer posted an emotional tribute to her son on Saturday morning.

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She wrote: “My beautiful son, Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor, the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God.

“May he rest in peace and may no one follow his example. My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”

The account had been issuing appeals to Shane over the past few days urging him to “do the right thing” and present himself to a Garda station after he was reported missing from an Irish hospital.

These messages said: “This is a message for my son, Shane. Shane, it’s not funny any more all this going missing...

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“Shane, your life is precious. God didn’t chisel that beautiful smile on your beautiful face for nothing. My world would collapse without you.”

And over the weekend, in the wake of his death, the same Twitter account heaped blame on the government, saying Shane had recently attempted suicide and that the hospital was meant to be watching him around the clock.

The posts said that “my son died in the so called care of the Irish State... may God forgive the Irish State for I never will”.

O’Connor, long known for her anti-Catholic stance, announced in 2018 she had converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada.

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Shane MacGowan, the lead singer of the Irish band The Pogues, shared a message of support to his fellow singer on Twitter, describing his namesake as a “beautiful boy”.

He wrote: “Sinead you have always been there for me and for so many people, you have been a comfort & a soul who is not afraid to feel the pain of the suffering.

“You have always tried to heal & help. “I pray that you can be comforted & find strength, healing & peace in your own sorrow & loss.”

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