Shane Lunny O’Connor was an Irish celebrity child who rose to fame as the third of four children of the late singer Sinéad O’Connor, also known as Shuhada’ Sadaqat. He was also the son of musician and producer, Dónal Lunny. Shane was born in 2004 and in 2022, he died by suicide after hanging himself at 17.
Prior to that, Shane was the closest person to his mother and according to her, he was the one person that loved her unconditionally. He also loved music as his parents made names for themselves in the music industry. His mother, Sinéad was a Grammy award-winning artist with records such as The Lion and the Cobra, Lay Your Head Down, and Take Me To Church.
His father Donal on the other hand was known for his solo albums, Coolfin (1998), and his collaborated albums, Andy Irvine/70th Birthday Concert at Vicar St 2012 (with Andy Irvine and Paul Brady, 2014) and Live from the Powerhouse (with Mozaik, 2004).
He was born Only a Few Years After His Mother Came Out as a Lesbian
Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor was born on 10 Mar 2004 in Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland, to his mother Sinéad O’Connor, and her ex-partner, Dónal Lunny.
He was born as the third of 4 children of his mother and about 4 years after his famous mother revealed that she was a lesbian but later retracted the statement.
A year after Shane’s birth in 2005, O’Connor revealed that “I’m three-quarters heterosexual, a quarter gay. I lean a bit more towards the hairy blokes”.
This is not the only thing that surrounded the year of his birth. The same year Shane was born, his mother was nominated for Meteor Music Awards for Best Irish Female. Also, the year after, O’Connor was nominated for the same award.
Shane’s birth year also came in the year that his parents’ relationship ended.
His Mother’s Album, Sean-Nós Nua Could Have Been Responsible For His Birth
The sixth album of his mother titled “Sean-Nós Nua” (2002) had a major impact on how Shane came to be. According to Sinéad O’Connor’s memoir, the album brought her and Shane’s father, Dónal Lunny closer.
The older Lunny produced the album and in fact, Shane’s paternal half-sister, Cora Lunny also made an impact on the album as she produced the violin sounds in some of the tracks of the album.
Furthermore, O’Connor said if they had not made the album, they would not have made Shane.
In any case, the pregnancy and birth of the child came with controversies as Shane’s father was at the time married to someone else.
Shane Lunny was Named After Muhammad Ali, Shane MacGowan, and Bob Marley
As earlier stated, Shane was named Nevi’im Nesta Ali Shane O’Connor at birth. All of these names were adopted from experience and people surrounding his mother, O’Connor.
The musician revealed that she had Muhammad Ali to thank for Shane. She spoke about meeting the legendary boxer and had an interest in an affair with his agent, which may have resulted in a different child.
However, the boxer’s agent had someone at his place so it never happened. But of course, the renowned Dense Water Deeper Down singer met Ali.
In another turn, she named him Shane after her friend and musician Shane MacGowan.
Then, his names Nesta and Nevi’im were obtained from Bob Marley and the holy book respectively. Nesta is actually the middle name of the Jamaican singer, Bob Marley while Nevi’im is a Hebrew word for the prophets. According to her, she knew that Shane would have to go without a father for some time in his life and she wanted the prophets to his fathers.
Who are Shane’s Siblings?
Shane Lunny had 5 half-siblings. From his mother, he had 3 half-siblings – Jake Reynolds, Brigidine Roisin Waters, and Yeshua Francis Neil Bonadio.
From his father’s relationships, Shane’s half-siblings are Cora Venus Lunny and Oisin Lunny.
He was Reportedly Assessed and Declared a Genius at 8
O’Connor wrote in her book Rememberings how her young son was assessed and declared a genius when he was only 8. She further stated that he had the learning ability, vocabulary, and mathematical reasoning of a 16-year-old.
He later started to study science at a college in Dublin but left after some time.
Apart from that, his famous mother thought he was very spiritual and could pass for a psychic. To back up her claim, she recounted that she was 2 weeks pregnant with him when she was in an earthquake. To her dismay, he was 3 years old when he asked if she was involved in an earthquake.
Shane Lunny Had a Strong Bond With His Mother and Their Separation May Have Caused Him Mental Illness
Shane has a striking resemblance with his mother and has been described by Sinead O’Connor as a child who was more like her. Beyond these, the mother and child shared a very strong bond.
Sadly, O’Connor lost custody of Shane in 2013 when the boy was only about 10 years old. The Grammy winner became sad and nurtured the thoughts of committing suicide.
Prior to that, O’Connor was revealed to have been diagnosed with bipolar disorder in 2007. She further suffered from mental illness that may have resulted in losing the custody of her child.
According to a report, being separated from his mother also caused Shane to have battled with some psychological issues. The report claims that being away from his mother caused him trauma.
Lunny’s Demise and How It Affected His Family
Shane first went missing in 2019 when he was 14 while at his father’s in Ballinteer, south Dublin. Days later, he was found.
In 2022 at 17, he was at Tallaght University Hospital in Dublin where he was put under suicide watch after he attempted to take his own life.
Ruefully, the boy went missing while at the hospital. His mother who has been open about his mental struggle reached out to social media to speak out about his missing and pleading with him to return.
Unfortunately, the celebrity teenager did not return home this time. His body was found dead on 7 Jan 2022 two days after he went missing. He was found in the Bray area of Wicklow.
It was revealed that Shane O’Connor died by hanging himself.
His mother went to social media to pray that her son had a peaceful rest and admonished others not to take the same path he did.
Like most suicide cases, Shane’s death left a high vacuum in the lives of his parents, siblings, and loved ones.
While they all grieved in different ways, Sinead O’Connor gave hints about taking her own life. She was taken to the hospital.
Weeks after the death of her son, Sinead O’Connor also died on July 26, 2023, in her London home. The authority has reported that the demise was not treated as suspicious.
