Cranberries singer a proud ‘ half Canuck’
IRISH ARTIST LOVED LIFE IN RURAL ONTARIO
Dolores O’Riordan, the defiant voice of Irish rock band the Cranberries who died Monday at 46, found a certain solace in her second home — a remote town in Ontario.
When she wasn’t performing rock anthems like Zombie, Linger and Dreams before audiences of thousands, O’Riordan was often at her cottage north of Peterborough, Ont., about 90 minutes northeast of Toronto. It was there she escaped from her sometimes relentless global fame and lived for years with her family. The region was also fruitful grounds for her two solo albums.
“I’m half a Canuck,” she said in a 2009 interview with The Canadian Press. “I’ve spent half my life here now.”
O’Riordan was found dead Monday at a hotel in London, where she was recording new music. Her publicist said the singer’s family is “devastated.” The cause of her death wasn’t immediately available.
O’Riordan was the Cranberries’ chief lyricist and co- songwriter, and her powerful, sometimes wailing voice was key to the band’s distinctive sound, blending alternative rock edge and Celtic- infused pop tunefulness. Their popularity was a quick transition from playing bars and clubs and opening for the likes of Duran Duran and Radiohead. The singer talked about how the pressures of constant output sent her spiralling into a depression for some time.
The band released three more studio albums before going on a hiatus in 2003 to focus on their solo work.
In the 2009 interview, O’Riordan said part of the band’s decision to take some time apart rested on the pressures of celebrity.
“I was so young when I got so famous and then I kind of put up a wall around myself, I didn’t really want to show people any fragilities or fears, I was trying to be this tough person that I felt was expected of me,” she said.
“It’s important to take time off because it’s a long journey this life, and I want to be singing in 30 years time. You see a lot of artists who get caught up in the here and now, and they just burn themselves out, and I kind of did that myself with my third album.”
With her former husband Don Burton, their two kids and a child from Burton’s previous relationship, they spent years dividing time between Ireland and their Ontario cottage.
When they met, the Torontoborn Burton was the tour manager for Duran Duran but he wound up taking on O’Riordan’s career.
Though they eventually separated, O’Riordan kept her connections to Canada. On Boxing Day, she posted on social media that she was headed to Ontario to spend time with her family.
She frequently talked about how she enjoyed the province. Whether it was riding a Sea- Doo or a snowmobile she was known for exploring the great outdoors.
“You can really get lost here, and I like that,” she said.
“The seasons are so dramatic here — from the snow in the winter to the beauty of the autumn, the colours of the leaves falling — so I have a piano outside my window and sometimes I start off there with ideas, just using nature as a backdrop.”
O’Riordan released two solo albums that were recorded in Canada. Are You Listening, in 2007, was produced at Metalworks Studios in Mississauga, Ont., and EMAC Recording Studios in London, Ont.
Her 2009 followup, No Baggage, was recorded solely at EMAC. The album cover features O’Riordan sitting on a bench atop the frozen Big Bald Lake in the backyard of her home.
Robert Nation, owner of the EMAC studio, remembers O’Riordan’s unabating sense of self whenever she was working.
“She had to be totally inspired and in the moment. If she wasn’t she’d say, ‘ I’m going to go out for a while, get outside and let you know what I’m doing later,’ ” Nation said.
“She knew when she was feeling right and when she was comfortable. It was the first time I came across (someone) like that.”
The Cranberries released the acoustic album Something Else in 2017 and had been due to tour Europe and North America. But a number of dates were cancelled, including one in Toronto, as O’Riordan struggled with persistent back problems.
In 2014, O’Riordan made headlines after she was accused of assaulting three police officers and a flight attendant during a flight from New York to Ireland. She pleaded guilty and was fined 6,000 euros ($ 6,600). Medical records given to the court indicated she was mentally ill at the time of the altercation.
After her court hearing O’Riordan urged other people suffering mental illness to seek help.