Hot Press is to publish a special tribute edition of the magazine in commemoration of the life and work of Sinead O’Connor. The tribute issue will be an additional, separate one-off publication.

The special memorial issue, is now on pre-sale on hotpress.com/shop and will be published between our August and September issues.

Sinead O’Connor died at her home in London last week, sending shock waves through the community in Ireland – and among friends, musicians and fans across the world.

“Sinead was one of the most important Irish artists of the past 50 years,” Hot Press editor Niall Stokes says. “She was a singer, songwriter and performer of transcendent ability and huge emotional range and depth. Her voice was an amazing instrument, capable of moving from a whisper to a banshee wail, and traversing the full spectrum of where the human spirit can take us. Her music made an enormous impact, inspiring people and touching so many of them to the very core.

"But she was also an extraordinary person, whose refusal to don the mask of convention galvanised a whole generation of women with a new sense of defiance, and a determination to cast off the shackles of what so many of us knew was a moribund, patriarchal view of the world. She was also extremely vulnerable, grappling with what was a very serious and often isolating mental health condition that seldom gave her any rest or peace of mind.

“It is for all of these reasons and more that her loss has triggered a huge outpouring of grief, but also of appreciation – of what she was and what she achieved, which was immense.

“When you think about it, the reality is that Sinead O’Connor was the best known Irish woman, in the world, probably ever. And for good reason: she was utterly special.

"We want to do something in Hot Press that will reflect the enormous importance which Sinead and her music had – for Irish people and Irish women, in particular – but also for musicians and fans across the globe. With a little bit more time, we hope that we can honour her in the appropriate way – and also revisit some of the incredibly passionate and intense things that Sinead herself said over the years, in and through Hot Press.”

In the meantime, Niall Stokes has penned his own personal tribute to Sinead in the upcoming Electric Picnic special issue of Hot Press.

“Sinead herself was on the cover of the pre-Electric Picnic issue of Hot Press in 2014,” Niall recalls. “I remember making sure to catch Sinead that weekend, and as ever she was brilliant. A festival can be a difficult place for any artist, and especially for one for whom the quiet moments are of the utmost importance. But she rose powerfully to the occasion, leaving no one in any doubt as to what an amazing performer and a wonderful singer she had always been."

All of that – and much more – will be celebrated in what promises to be a special Sinead O’Connor Tribute Issue of Hot Press.

To secure your copy of the special issue, go here: