first, o’connor formally converted to islam and changed her name to shuhada sadaqat in 2018 (though continuing to perform under the name sinead o’connor).

second, o’connor was a survivor of magdalene laundries, having been sent there for shoplifting and truancy at the age of 18. magdalene laundries were state-sanctioned, chruch-run “homes” for over 30,000 women who were “incarcerated for transgressing the narrow moral code of the time,” as well as girls with mental health issues, pregnancy outside of marriage, petty crime, and social dysfunction. conditions were abysmal: girls were treated with violence and aggression, corporal punishment was common, and it was almost impossible to leave without outside help. many women remained in these “laundries” for many years. investigations were presented to the united states committee against torture after finding that these laundries and their exploitation amounted to human rights violations and torture. the discovery of a mass grave at one such location in 1993 became a national scandal.