Irish star Sinéad O’Connor has a message of hope for Irish people during the coronavirus pandemic.
The 53-year-old told fans that facing adversity is ‘in our blood’.
O’Connor has had to cancel a US tour and has headed back to Ireland to be with her family.
O’Connor told the Irish Sun: “No one knows how long this is going to go on or what’s going to happen to Ireland in the next few months.
“But if there was something I would say to everyone in Ireland it’s that, whatever happens, I know the Irish people are capable of rebuilding Ireland because we have done it several times in our history, the Famine, 1916, it’s in our blood.
“We are also blessed now to have people from other countries to help, people who are rebuilding their lives by coming here. That’s a blessing”.
While O’Connor has had to cut short her tour, she intends to use the spare time to write and record new music.
She is interested in reaching out to young people whose concerns and struggles are often overlooked.
She said: “I know drugs are rife in right now, with 11 and 12-year-olds selling and taking drugs, I wanted to talk to those young people, running in the streets and involved in drugs.
“Nobody has to take the advice, but I’ve enjoyed writing the songs anyway.”
O’Connor also added that although she is a Sinn Féin supporter, she was impressed with how Taoiseach Leo Varadkar has handled the situation – particularly how he has addressed the young people of the country.
She said: “I liked how Leo spoke to young people. No one ever bothers to speak to young people in this country. He did it because he’s young at heart himself.”
Written by Michael Kehoe @michaelcalling