The Irish Times
April 26, 2000

Sinead O'Connor
HQ Hall of Fame

By TONY CLAYTON-LEA


    Appearing as part of RTE Radio One's Mystery Train Live series, Sinead
O'Connor remains as iconic a figure as ever. This event, however, was not
a gig, as Mystery Train host, John Kelly, pointed out at the beginning. 
Rather, it was a relaxed, informal chat with Sinead in the comfort of a 
sitting room. And so it turned out to be, with the notable exception of a 
couple of surprises: O'Connor's startling voice and the sight of an RTE radio 
presenter openly flirting with a priest.

The format of these Mystery Train live shows - well known music personality
is interviewed by well known radio pre senter, well known music personality
sings a number of songs - is such that it succeeds or fails on how relaxed the
atmosphere is. To his credit, John Kelly drew O'Connor out of her initial
nervous shell with casual empathy, easygoing humour and instinctive queries, 
following the line of Q & A whenever and wherever it went but ultimately 
refusing to go for the soft option.

For her part, Sinead O'Connor was genuinely sparky in her resolve to shed some 
light onto her public profile. Occasionally starkly honest ("loneliness is a 
crowded room," she said in relation to her chart-topping success period) and 
very funny, on all levels she succeeded in laying to rest the public perception 
of her potential for self-destruction.

As for the songs, O'Connor began with Kyrie Eleison and ended with She
Moves Through The Fair. Accompanied for the most part by former Something
Happens guitarist Ray Harmon, she also performed two untitled songs from her
forthcoming album, House of The Rising Sun, Bob Dylan's I Believe In You,
Loreena McKennit's Full Circle, On Raglan Road, Amazing Grace and I Am 
Stretched On Your Grave. If pins were dropped, no one heard them.