Dolores O’Riordan: She Made Me Proud To Be From Limerick

Limerick sometimes gets a tough time from the media. It isn’t the most glamorous place. But the county – and this is true of the city in particular – is more than it’s complicated and sometimes troubled past. It is home to an abundance of talented people, and Dolores O'Riordan was one of them.

Dolores and the rest of The Cranberries helped to put Limerick on the musical map. Everyone in Limerick grew up listening to their music; and as we have seen in recent days, in the response to Dolores' sudden death, its international success filled the community with a sense of pride. She sang in her own accent, and from this we learned never to be ashamed of where we’ve come from. Honest lyrics helped us to relate even more fully to, and to identify with, her music.

Her reach was so great and so powerful that it will continue to cause ripples long after her death. When Dolores passed away, hundreds of locals gathered in Limerick to sing her songs and to create music, the spell of her work bringing the community together yet again. At a Munster rugby match, in the city’s Thomond Park, The Cranberries’ music played throughout the stadium. Everyone joined in, showing how their music transcends age. No one remained silent.

The relationship between Dolores and Limerick was symbiotic. While Dolores meant so much to Limerick, Limerick meant so much to her also – and it is that deep and lasting connection which fills me with pride. Dolores O'Riordan succeeded in making me proud of my home. I owe her a huge debt of thanks. Because as another local put it, “She’s a Limerick woman and so am I.”