Sinead O’Connor blames ‘evil’ Irish state for teenage son’s death

Sinead O’Connor has demanded to know why her teenage son Shane was allowed to leave a Dublin hospital after several suicide attempts. He was found dead two days after slipping out of the facility.

Shane O’Connor, 17, was found dead in the early hours of Saturday morning, after he was reported missing from Tallaght Hospital in the suburbs of the Irish capital on Thursday. His mother broke the news of his death by tweeting that her son “decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God,” and police confirmed the teen’s death to the Irish media shortly afterwards.

The teenager had been under the care of Tusla – a government child welfare agency – at Tallaght Hospital. In a series of tweets leading up to his death, O’Connor pleaded with her son to contact the police and return to hospital. According to the singer, he was supposed to be under constant supervision at the hospital after two “severe suicide attempts” in the preceding week.

O’Connor’s grief soon gave way to anger. “26 hours after my son died in the so called care of the Irish State in the form of Tusla, I have yet to receive any contact from Tusla or their representatives,” she tweeted on Saturday, describing the situation as “unacceptable.” When the agency did contact her to identify her son’s remains, she tweeted, “may God forgive the Irish state for I never will.”

O’Connor then called any upcoming statement from Tusla or the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE) “dishonest” and “ass covering.”

“I’m going to take private time now to grieve my son,” the ‘Nothing Compares 2 U’ singer concluded. “When I am ready I will be telling exactly how the Irish State in the ignorant, evil, self-serving, lying forms of Tusla and the HSE enabled and facilitated his death.”

“And any statement out of Tusla suggesting they a) did their best b) care or c) have deepest sympathies for anyone here but their lawyers, is a load of crap trap that has killed too many kids and it isn’t going to wash this time,” she added. 

Neither Tusla nor the HSE has commented publicly on Shane’s death, with both organizations citing confidentiality rules to the Irish media.