Warrington bomb victim's father pays tribute to Dolores O'Riordan

The father of one of the victims of the Warrington bomb said he only became aware of Dolores O'Riordan's memorial to his son after the singer's death on Monday.
Singer Dolores ORiordan, who died on Monday, wrote the song Zombie in memory of the young Warrington bomb victimsSinger Dolores ORiordan, who died on Monday, wrote the song Zombie in memory of the young Warrington bomb victims
Singer Dolores ORiordan, who died on Monday, wrote the song Zombie in memory of the young Warrington bomb victims

Following the 1993 IRA bombs in Cheshire which claimed the lives of Colin Parry’s 12-year-old son, Tim, and three-year-old Johnathan Ball, the Cranberries lead singer wrote the song ‘Zombie’ in memory of the two boys.

Ms O’Riordan died on Monday at the age of 46 in a London hotel. She had been in the city for a recording session.

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Mr Parry revealed on BBC’s Good Morning Ulster programme yesterday that he had not known of the significance of the lyrics of ‘Zombie’ until after the singer’s death.

Colin Parry, father of Tim Parry, said he only became aware of the meaning of 'Zombie' after Dolores O'Riordan's deathColin Parry, father of Tim Parry, said he only became aware of the meaning of 'Zombie' after Dolores O'Riordan's death
Colin Parry, father of Tim Parry, said he only became aware of the meaning of 'Zombie' after Dolores O'Riordan's death

In the song Ms O’Riordan, who is from Co Limerick, sings:

“Another head hangs lowly

“Child is slowly taken

“And the violence, caused such silence

Colin Parry, father of Tim Parry, said he only became aware of the meaning of 'Zombie' after Dolores O'Riordan's deathColin Parry, father of Tim Parry, said he only became aware of the meaning of 'Zombie' after Dolores O'Riordan's death
Colin Parry, father of Tim Parry, said he only became aware of the meaning of 'Zombie' after Dolores O'Riordan's death

“Who are we mistaken?”

Mr Parry, who was awarded an OBE along with his wife Wendy, said: “The words are both majestic and also very real.

“The event at Warrington, like the many events that happened all over Ireland and Great Britain, affected families in a very real way and many people have become immune to the pain and suffering that so many people experienced during that armed campaign.

“To read the words written by an Irish band in such a compelling way was very, very powerful.

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“I likened it to the enormous amount of mail expressing huge sympathy that we received in the days, weeks and months following our loss.

“Proportionately a very high total of that came from the island of Ireland.”

Ms O’Riordan had last played Belfast in March last year with The Cranberries.

The singer was renowned for her distinctive voice and the band enjoyed huge success in the 1990s with tracks including ‘Zombie’ and ‘Linger’.

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In May 2017 The Cranberries cancelled a string of shows after O’Riordan, who had bipolar disorder, was instructed by her doctors to stop working for a month for medical reasons associated with a back problem.

Her band – Noel and Mike Hogan and Fergal Lawler – posted a message on Twitter saying: “We are devastated on the passing of our friend Dolores. She was an extraordinary talent and we feel very privileged to have been part of her life from 1989 when we started The Cranberries. The world has lost a true artist.”

Metropolitan Police described her death as sudden but said it was not suspicious.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar said O’Riordan was “the voice of a generation”.

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