Sinead O'Connor condemns 'well-meaning' condolences that claim son Shane is 'at peace' after suicide
Sinead O'Connor's teenage son, Shane, tragically took his own life on Friday
Sinead O'Connor had strong words for those who say her son, Shane, is 'at peace' after tragically taking his own life last week.
The Irish singer, who lost her beloved 17-year-old to suicide on Saturday, has taken to Twitter to condemn those who claim the teenager's suffering has ended in death.
In a storm of now-deleted posts on Sunday evening, Sinead warned that the "next well meaning sod" to offer such condolences would "get their lights punched out."
The grieving mother also revealed that Shane's face "was as tormented as it's been for months" after he took his life, and slammed the notion that suicide brings peace as a "lie."
A Gardaí appeal was launched on Friday after Shane, who was being treated for mental illness at Tallaght hospital in Dublin, went missing from its children's psychiatric unit. Sinead took to Twitter shortly after he was reported missing, threatening legal action against the hospital for allowing a "traumatized young person on SUICIDE WATCH" to leave their care. The 55-year-old also added that Shane had made "two severe suicide attempts" in the past week.
On Saturday, 8 January, Sinead shared the devastating news that her son had "ended his earthly struggle and is now with God." His body was recovered in Bray, County Wicklow on Friday and the Missing Person Appeal was called off.
The Nothing Compares To You singer went on to launch a scathing attack against Tusla, the Irish Child and Family Agency, for failing their duty of care to her son. In a thread of deleted tweets, she claimed that her country's "ignorant, evil, self-serving" and "lying" health services "enabled and facilitated" Shane's death. Sinead also warned that she would be telling her story when she is ready. She has since retracted her comments, taking to Twitter on Monday to apologize for "lashing out" at Tusla.
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"Tusla are working with very limited resources. They loved shane. They are broken hearted. They are human. I am sorry I have upset them. We are a third world country. It’s not their fault," she wrote.
Ok, I’m gonna do the right thing here and apologise for my lashing out. Tusla are working with very limited resources. They loved shane. They are broken hearted. They are human. I am sorry I have upset them. We are a third world country. It’s not their fault.January 10, 2022
Sinead has been inundated with messages of support following the heart-breaking news from both fans and fellow singers, including Shane MacGowan. The Pogues frontman took to Twitter on Saturday to share a message of support with the Grammy-award-winner, with whom he has been friends for decades.
Hailing from the lovely city of Dublin, Emma mainly covers the Royal Family and the entertainment world, as well as the occasional health and wellness feature. Always up for a good conversation, she has a passion for interviewing everyone from A-list celebrities to the local GP - or just about anyone who will chat to her, really.
Emma holds an MA in International Journalism from City, University of London, and a BA in English Literature from Trinity College Dublin.
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