Those gathered in Temple Bar spoke about the influence her music had on their lives, and called for her death to “light an absolute fire under all of us” to tackle how mental health and children are treated in Ireland.
O’Connor died on Thursday aged 56.
Crowds gather at the Wall of Fame to pay tribute to Sinead O’Connor
The Grammy-winning singer, originally from Dublin, was found unresponsive at a home in south London on Wednesday.
The crowd sang two of her most famous songs, Black Boys On Mopeds and Nothing Compares 2 U.
One attendee said O’Connor was a “model and activist that I always look up to. I never got the opportunity to meet her in person but I would like to honour her beautiful soul today and hopefully she is in a better place and God bless her”.
Speaking of the singer’s social impact, another said: “Those conversations I don’t have, but Sinéad the celebrity did, the A-list celebrity. Let’s have those conversations every day, let’s keep that up, let’s not stop it.
“Let’s listen to her music, it’s a banger, it’s so good.”
The portrait of O’Connor in Temple Bar was lit up, with flowers and photographs left at the foot of the wall which features other stars of the Irish music industry such as U2, Bob Geldof and Luke Kelly.
Politicians, musicians, actors and charities from across the world have paid tribute to O’Connor for her contributions to the music industry and raising awareness of social issues.
Text on a mural of O’Connor outside Temple Bar reads: “Sinéad you were right all along. We were wrong. So sorry.”
The vigil also heard a poem written in memory of O’Connor.
“She kicked down the barriers in her Doc Marten boots, bald-headed deliverer of unwanted truths,” the speaker read.
Separately, Ms O’Connor was also remembered at a public gathering at the London Irish Centre in Camden, north London this evening, allowing people to come together to celebrate her life. Hundreds attended the event which included music and a reading from O’Connor’s memoir.
In 2018 O’Connor announced she had converted to Islam and changed her name to Shuhada’ Davitt, later Shuhada Sadaqat.
