Powerful Irish Singer From Rural Limerick Conquered Music World Before Tragic End

Dolores ORiordan was born on September 6, 1971, in the quiet countryside of Ballybricken, County Limerick, Ireland. She was the youngest of nine children in a very religious Roman Catholic family and her mother named her after the Lady of the Seven Dolours. Her father, Terence, suffered from brain damage after a motorbike accident in 1968, while her mother, Eileen, worked to support the large household. Dolores showed her musical gifts very early, singing for older students at school when she was only five years old. Although she had a strict and sheltered upbringing that revolved around church and music lessons, she felt a strong inner drive to perform. At eighteen, she chose to leave home and face poverty rather than follow the wishes of her parents for her to attend college or become a nun.