How Sinead O’Connor battled to help ‘beautiful’ son Shane with demons – as dad struggled to see him in ‘tough’ lockdown
WITH his cheeky features and cropped hair, his resemblance to mum Sinead in her haunting Nothing Compares 2 U video was uncanny.
“Beautiful” Shane O’Connor - whom the Irish singer called “the very light of my life” - had delighted his proud mum with his poetic way with words.
Now, Sinead - who has endured so much heartache in her 55 years - has had to formally identify the 17-year-old’s body, just days after reporting her son missing, and appealing for his safe return.
Police found Shane’s body in a suburb of Dublin on Friday night.
The Irish Health Service Executive said: “We cannot comment on individual cases when to do so might reveal information in relation to identifiable individuals, breaching the ethical requirement on us to observe our duty of confidentiality.”
Sinead later tweeted Bob Marley song Ride Natty Ride alongside a photo of her beloved son.
She said: "This is for my Shaney. The light of my life. The lamp of my soul. My blue-eye baby.
“You will always be my light. We will always be together. No boundary can separate us."
With courage and fortitude, she wrote on social media that Shane had “decided to end his earthly struggle”.
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The mum-of-four added: “My baby. I love you so much. Please be at peace.”
It comes just days after Sinead claims Shane escaped from hospital, and now she is threatening legal action.
Talented poet was mum's 'spitting image'
A talented poet, Shane was the child of Sinead and musician Donal Lunny, who split shortly after her birth.
Shortly before Christmas, the mum shared a "beautiful" verse written by her son, whose full name was Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor.
Sharing it with fans on December 21, she wrote: "My favourite thing about 2021 was that my 17 year old son, Shane O’Connor wrote this beautiful poem.
"It’s in 6/8 tempo."
The poem read: "The blood never ends. The failure of men. Is to pick up a knife as quick as a pen. How many lives must we spend again."
"For the freedom of my cock and the love of my hen.
"Would you swap places with a man out of tune if the birds of December became the birds of June."
It goes on to add: "Would you go to old places just to make them look new or bring memories with you when out of the blue."
Last May, Sinead posted a rare snap of herself with the teenager as he accompanied her to receive her second vaccine.
She wrote: "2nd Vaccine today.
"My lovely 17 yr old son coming with me : ) Behold Nevi'im Nesta Ali Shane O'Connor #Gentleman."
One adoring fan replied: "The image of you. Big eyes like mommy. A son always looks after his precious mom.
Another added: "The Apple doesn’t fall far from the tree! Good luck with the vaccine. It is quite an emotional experience and is liberating."
Teenager's mental health struggles
The Grammy winner has been open about her son's struggles with mental health in the past.
When he went missing January 2019 aged 14, she issued a plea asking parents who might know his whereabouts to contact local police.
The concerned mother tweeted at the time: "My sweet 14-year-old son has been going missing a lot and is currently missing for the last two days.
"If you are a parent in whose house he has been staying or is staying, please call Dundrum Gardai.
"Not calling them is not helping him."
He later returned safe and well.
And last February she asked fans to pray for her son after what she called "a hideous day from hell".
'Lovely, kind' dad distanced from son by lockdown
Sinead has three other children: Jake, 34, a chef, whose father is John Reynolds; Roisin, 26, a pastry chef and the daughter of John Waters; and Yeshua, 15, the son of Frank Bonadio.
She previously hinted at a strained relationship with Donal - the father of Shane, her third child - before later expressing "regret" over the comments and saying he was a "lovely, kind" dad.
She later cleared up the comments in a tweet: “I regret I was lazy in the edit of my book (Rememberings) regarding the small negative reference to Dónal Lunny. In fact I am very fond of him. And vastly admire his Beatles-esque effect on Irish traditional music. He is also a lovely, kind father to our son.”
In an interview last year, folk singer Donal Lunny revealed he was finding it "tough" not being able to see Shane, who lived nearby, due to Covid-19 restrictions.
He told the Late Late Show: “For myself, I have a son and a daughter far overseas, and we don’t see each other that often. We communicate by phone or Zoom or whatever.
“In Dublin within shouting distance I have my daughter Cora and son Shane. We don’t get to see each other and we’re just up and down the road, so we might as well be far away from each other. So it’s tricky. It’s tough.”
After revealing the tragic news about Shane over the weekend, Sinead wrote a moving tribute to Donal on Twitter.
“You did your best too, Donal,” she wrote. “And Shane adored you. And I will always remember how sweet you have been to him. You have been a lovely father. I am so sorry for your loss.”
Hospital escape
Sinead, who became a global superstar with her 1990 cover of Prince's Nothing Compares 2 U, has long been an outspoken mental health advocate.
In 2007 she told Oprah Winfrey in an interview that she’d attempted suicide on her 33rd birthday.
She has spent time in mental health institutions and been diagnosed with complex post traumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder.
Shortly before sharing the news of Shane's tragic passing, Sinead revealed her son had gone missing from Tallaght Hospital in Dublin on Thursday January 6 and shared an appeal for his return.
She wrote: "This is a message for my son, Shane. Shane, it’s not funny any more all this going missing. You are scaring the c**p out of me.
"Could you please do the right thing and present yourself at a Gardai station. If you are with Shane please call the Gardai for his safety."
The terrified mum added in another post: "Shane, your life is precious.
"God didn’t chisel that beautiful smile on your beautiful face for nothing.
"My world would collapse without you. You are my heart.
"Please don’t stop it from beating. Please don’t harm yourself. Go to the Gardai and let’s get you to hospital."
Sinead, who converted to Islam in 2018 and took the name Shuhada Sadaqat, questioned how the teen - who she claimed was supposed to be on suicide watch, having tried to kill himself twice previously - left the hospital.
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Before discovering her son had died, Sinead threatened to take legal action against the hospital if he were to die.
She continued: "Hospital of course so far refusing to take any responsibility. Anything happens to my son on their watch? Lawsuits."
Contact the Samaritans
If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, contact The Samaritans on 116 123.
They are available for free at anytime.
Or email
