From rural Ireland to rock legend: The life of a generation-defining voice
Born on September 6, 1971, in Ballybricken, County Limerick, Ireland, she was the youngest of nine children in a devout Roman Catholic family. Her mother named her after the Lady of the Seven Dolours.
Despite these challenges, the star was raised in a modest, loving household.
”My childhood was sheltered, pure and trippy in a childlike way,” she once said. ”I talked to birds and cows a lot. I also confided in my dog. He was like my shrink –he never objected or looked disapprovingly at anything I did.”
According to several sources, the future artist was singing before she could even talk. By the age of five, her school principal recognized her talent, placing her on a teacher’s desk to perform for a class of twelve-year-olds.
She began with traditional Irish songs and learned to play the tin whistle at school.
When she was seven, a family accident left their home destroyed by fire, but the close-knit rural community came together to raise funds for a new house.Continue reading…
