World
‘Gone too soon’: Fans gather in Ireland to bid farewell to Sinead O’Connor
Large crowds of people have lined a coastal road in Ireland to pay their respects to Sinead O’Connor, the gifted singer and lifelong activist who died last week.
Fans on Tuesday left handwritten notes and flowers outside O’Connor’s former home in Bray, County Wicklow, thanking her for sharing her voice and her music. One sign listed causes that the superstar singer, who converted to Islam in 2018, had expressed support for, including welcoming refugees.
“Thanks for your short special life,” one note read. “Gone too soon.”
“She was so rebellious and empowering and inspiring, and my mother hated me listening to her music,” said Ruth O’Shea, who had come to Bray, south of the capital, Dublin, with her two daughters.
“She was just brilliant. Brilliant – I loved her, and then the kids, I suppose by osmosis because I played her when they were both growing up, they’d go, ‘Oh God, mum’s listening to Sinead O’Connor, she’s obviously had a rough day.’ She just gave me hope. And I just loved her, I loved her.”
O’Connor, 56, was found unresponsive at her London home on July 26. Police have not shared a cause of death, though they said her death was not suspicious.
O’Connor’s family invited the public to line the waterfront as her funeral procession passed by, following a private service.
“Sinead loved living in Bray and the people in it,” her family said in a statement. “With this procession, her family would like to acknowledge the outpouring of love for her from the people of Wicklow (county) and beyond, since she left … to go to another place.”
O’Connor, a multi-octave mezzo-soprano of extraordinary emotional range who was recognisable by her shaved head, began her career singing on the streets of Dublin and soon rose to international fame.
She became a sensation in 1990 with her cover of Prince’s ballad Nothing Compares 2 U, which topped charts from Europe to Australia.
The song received three Grammy nominations and was the featured track on her acclaimed album, I Do Not Want What I Haven’t Got, which helped lead Rolling Stone to name her Artist of the Year in 1991.
O’Connor’s other musical credits included the albums, Universal Mother and Faith and Courage, a cover of Cole Porter’s You Do Something to Me, from the AIDS fundraising album Red Hot + Blue, and backing vocals on Peter Gabriel’s Blood of Eden. She received eight Grammy nominations and in 1991 won for best alternative musical performance.
After converting to Islam, she took on the Muslim name Shuhada’ Davitt – later changing it to Shuhada Sadaqat – but continued to use the name Sinead O’Connor professionally.
A lifelong nonconformist, she said she shaved her head in response to record executives pressuring her to be conventionally glamorous.
She was a critic of the Roman Catholic Church well before allegations of sexual abuse were widely reported. She made headlines in October 1992 when she tore up a photo of Pope John Paul II while appearing on NBC’s Saturday Night Live and denounced the church as the enemy.
She was public about her struggles with mental illness. When her teenage son Shane died by suicide last year, O’Connor tweeted there was “no point living without him” and she was soon hospitalised. Her final tweet, sent July 17, read “For all mothers of Suicided children,” and linked to a Tibetan compassion mantra.
Since her death, celebrities have paid tribute to her, and people have shared acts of kindness she performed.
World
Reacher Gets Early Season 4 Renewal Ahead of Amazon Hit’s 2025 Return
ad
World
The history of the Hoxne Hoard, the largest collection of Roman treasure found in Britain
The Hoxne Hoard is one of Britain’s unique archaeological finds, not just by its value, but also by how it was found.
Various sources note the Hoxne Hoard as the largest hoard of Roman treasure ever found in Britain. The collection of treasures is heavily made up of gold and silver coins, though there are other objects, such as tableware and jewelry that were also found.
How this collection of ancient treasures was found adds to its uniqueness.
SANXINGDUI RUINS WERE DISCOVERED ACCIDENTALLY BY A FARMER; HAS SINCE BEEN THE SITE OF OVER 60K RELICS
On Nov. 16, 1992, Eric Lawes was scouring a field in Hoxne village in Suffolk, not on the hunt for hidden treasure, but simply looking for a hammer that had been lost on the land.
Lawes was scanning the area with his metal detector, when he came across a small portion of the treasures within what would become the Hoxne Hoard.
After shoveling up some of the silver spoons and gold coins he found, he quickly reported his find to be properly excavated.
Lawes was awarded £1.75 million for his find, which he shared with the farmer who owned the land the treasures were discovered on, according to the Smithsonian Magazine.
THE 4,000 ITEMS IN THE STAFFORDSHIRE HOARD MAKE IT THE LARGEST COLLECTION IN HISTORY OF ITS KIND
The very next day, the Suffolk County Council Archaeology Service (SCCAS) was on the scene, according to the World History Encyclopedia.
The gold and silver artifacts part of the Hoxne Hoard weigh around 60 pounds in total, according to Ancient Origins. There are around 15,000 Roman coins as part of the collection, per The British Museum, where many of the items are displayed today. The items were buried in the 5th century A.D.
Other unique finds include pieces of jewelry, like a body chain, six necklaces, three finger rings and gold bracelets, according to the source.
MOM, SON DIG UP ANCIENT OBJECT OFTEN FOUND NEAR BURIAL GROUNDS WHILE GARDENING
Even though the Hoxne Hoard is heavily made up of coins, one of the best-known treasures that was found was the “Empress” pepper pot. This pot was one of four that were excavated from the site, according to The British Museum. The pepper pot is intricately formed to represent a woman.
Additionally, there were many tableware items that were part of the hoard, including a set of 19 spoons, in good condition, that were decorated with marine themes, according to The British Museum.
Archaeologists believe that the Hoxne Hoard was buried no later than 450 A.D., according to Ancient Origins.
At the end of the 4th century A.D., the western Roman Empire was in a place of uncertainty, with Roman soldiers exiting Britain, leaving citizens to fend for themselves.
While experts have posed varying hypotheses as to why the hoard was buried, one common suggestion is that it was done for protection, with the intent of the owners collecting their precious items once again. In the case of the Hoxne Hoard, the items were never retrieved by their owners.
Today, the Hoxne Hoard is on display at the British Museum in London. The display contains many of the coins, jewelry and tableware, as well as Lawes’ hammer, which he was originally looking for when he stumbled upon the far more significant discovery.
World
Greece confronts disastrously low birth rate in Aegean Islands
At 1.3 babies per woman, Greece’s fertility rate is among Europe’s lowest — and well below the threshold for population growth.
Authorities in the Aegean Islands have warned that low birth rates spell disaster for their region.
Mayors from the islands expressed serious concerns during the 15th Congress of Small Islands in Milos, where they lamented the continuous downward trend of Greece’s births-to-deaths ratio and said the consequences were already visible in their communities.
A case in point is Agios Efstratios, a small island in the north Aegean with no more than 250 inhabitants.
‘’There are no girls on the island. Or at least there are no more than 2 women under 30 years old,” said Kostas Sinanis, the local mayor.
“The same goes for the boys. We need to search for the incentives that will bring the young boys and girls back to the island, the place where they were born and raised, to create their families. Unfortunately, we had one birth last year and another one three years ago.”
In 2022, Greece recorded its lowest number of births in 92 years — and this year, the country posted the second-largest population decrease in the EU.
Greece’s fertility rate is among the continent’s lowest at 1.3 babies per woman, well below the 2.5 needed for population growth. Economic forecasts indicate its workforce will fall by 50% by 2100, with its output shrinking by 31% over the same period.
Michalis Vlastarakis of the Eurobank Group warned that if nothing is done, disaster will follow.
‘’If we don’t do something, in about 25 years from now, in two decades, one-third of the population will be over 65 years old, and in 2050 we will be 2.5 million less”, said Vlastakaris.
“You don’t need to have studied finance to understand the consequences of these projections on economic indicators, GDP, the workforce, the insurance system, pensions, health, and education, even since there’re going to be fewer schools.’’
Greece’s family ministry said a few days ago that it plans to spend €20 billion through 2035 on incentives to halt the decline, including cash benefits and tax breaks.
The government already spends around €1 billion a year on pro-child measures — but like other European countries doing the same, it has seen little impact.
-
Technology1 week ago
Charter will offer Peacock for free with some cable subscriptions next year
-
World6 days ago
Ukrainian stronghold Vuhledar falls to Russian offensive after two years of bombardment
-
World7 days ago
WikiLeaks’ Julian Assange says he pleaded ‘guilty to journalism’ in order to be freed
-
Technology6 days ago
Beware of fraudsters posing as government officials trying to steal your cash
-
Health4 days ago
Health, happiness and helping others are vital parts of free and responsible society, Founding Fathers taught
-
Virginia1 week ago
Status for Daniels and Green still uncertain for this week against Virginia Tech; Reuben done for season
-
Sports5 days ago
Freddie Freeman says his ankle sprain is worst injury he's ever tried to play through
-
News4 days ago
Lebanon says 50 medics killed in past three days as Israel extends its bombardment