Thousands gather to remember life of Cranberries singer
THOUSANDS OF people have gathered at a church in Limerick to remember the life of Cranberries frontwoman Dolores O’Riordan.
Fans young and old, many clutching white roses and daffodils, streamed to St Joseph’s Church where a public reposal was held yesterday.
Hundreds of Munster rugby fans also arrived at the church to pay their respects after their crunch European tie was postponed.
Large crowds lined the road outside for most of the afternoon as they waited patiently to get into the church.
O’Riordan’s distinctive voice filled the building as her songs were softly played throughout the service.
A floral tribute beside her open coffin read: “The song has ended, but the memories linger on.”
Photographs of the Irish singer performing and one of her with the Pope were placed along the church walls.
Four books of condolence were also opened inside the church for mourners to sign.
The public reposal is the first in a series of services to be held before the funeral mass taking place in the Church of Saint Ailbe in Ballybricken, Co Limerick, tomorrow morning.
Canon Liam McNamara, the Associate Pastor and a close friend of the O’Riordan family, will act as the Chief Celebrant of the Requiem Mass. Father James Walton will be the chief co-celebrant, alongside Archbishop Kieran O’Reilly, Archbishop of Cashel and Emly, and Archbishop Dermot Clifford, the Archbishop Emeritus of Cashel and Emly.
The funeral mass will be broadcast live by Limerick’s local radio station.
Tomorrow’s service will be followed by a private family burial.
O’Riordan was in London to discuss plans for the band’s latest album when she was found dead in a hotel.
A number of tests have been carried out to establish the cause of the 46-year-old musician’s death, an inquest heard on Friday before it was adjourned until April 3.
Sales and streams of the band’s back catalogue have rocketed by 1,000 per cent in the days since her death.