Sinead Confirms Split With Fachtna

In a wide-ranging meditation, the artist has set out at length her version of the events that led to the rupturing of the working relationship, which originated in the 1980s with Fachtna presiding over her early successes.

"It is entirely inaccurate to state that that the split between myself and Fachtna was the result of any email I sent," she says, responding to a Sunday Independent article in which the news was first made public by reporter Niamh Horan. "It was I who ended the working arrangement, in a perfectly reasoned email for perfectly poignant reasons.

"It is also inaccurate to imply I cried in the Nothing Compares 2 U video over Fachtna," she adds. "I cried upon singing the lines 'all the flowers that you planted Mama in the back yard all died when you went away'.

"I was thinking of my mother, who died five years previously in a car crash. I am always with my mother when I sing that song and that is why I love it."

While clearly unhappy at aspects of how her career had been handled recently, Sinéad is effusive in her praise of her former manager.

"It is of course accurate to state Fachtna is the best music BUSINESS manager alive," she states. "However being a manager involves more than setting up the business end of things in the fantastic way he absolutely did."

Sinéad catalogues a series of problems which she believes afflicted the arrangements for the promo of her current album How About I Be Me And You Be You, released on the One Little Indian label. What is clear from what are minutely detailed observations is that Sinéad – who has already revealed that she attempted suicide recently – feels that the extent of her illness was not sufficiently taken into account in the scheduling of the promo for the album and that this is behind her decision to terminate the managerial relationship.

"Since the suicide attempt it is widely known to all who know me that I have been extremely frighteningly unwell," Sinéad says. "It has taken until last week for me to be able to find the space to find the right doctor and the right medications so that I can begin to get better."

"If I am going to make music in the future I will be doing so in a manner which brings peace to my life. I will not be doing anything at all (if) it does not soothe me," she concludes.

Everyone with an interest in great music will wish Sinéad well in the battle against the illness that has afflicted her.