Michelle MacEwan

Sinead O’Connor

Tuesday 1st April, 2008

Last Tuesday evening, 25th March, I went with 3 dear friends to Melbourne to see Sinéad O’Connor perform at the Palais. What an incredible evening!

Of course we were thrilled to have the opportunity to see Sinead perform and we knew it was going to be incredible. Together we drove for over 3 hours through some of the most intense rainstorms I have experienced to arrive in perfect time to park and catch our breath before the performance began. The atmosphere was electric.
However, at the same time there was an almost indescribable feeling of being at home. Of being in a place that was familiar – we could have been in west Ireland at a gathering. As we stood upstairs in the lounge area everyone in the crowd looked familiar. I kept expecting that I knew everyone. That I could say hello to any of the members of the audience and I would know them. I was enfolded in a feeling of deep peace and a sense of community.

The Palais is a wonderful old Melbourne venue and wrapped within its walls is the sense of Melbourne of long ago – when it was set to be the capitol of the southern hemisphere. A time when many Irish came to this land filled with hope of a freedom that they could not have at home. Sinéad has always embodied that Irish spirit of freedom for me. To see her perform has always been a dream. She was amazing. My friends and I were impregnated with a wonderful sense of connectedness and peacefulness.

The entire evening was a blissful dream that still hasn’t ended. Sinéad’s website has a You Tube recording of a song, We People (who are Darker than Blue), she performed with Republic of Loose when both artists were invited to perform together at Ireland’s Meteor Music awards in February.
We have been able to link this video recording to our site, so I invite you to sit back, press play and be inspired!

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