upworthy

@ireland

Truly a once in a lifetime talent.

When we think of badass, alt rock icons of the 90s, few are as singular and unique as Dolores O’Riordan, who gave The Cranberries its signature sound, and who was once described as having "the voice of a saint trapped in a glass harp.”

It wasn’t just that O’Riordan flawlessly blended traditional Celtic singing techniques like lilting and keening into rock music (which in itself is an amazing feat) but that her performances never compromised emotional authenticity for the sake of aesthetics. The result, as any fan will tell you, was something both ethereal and raw all at the same time.

 the cranberries linger song Dolores O'Riordan had a singularly unique voice  Giphy  

So it should probably be of no surprise that in this resurfaced clip, presumably from the late 90s, O’Riordan’s stunning cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Go Your Own Way” is every bit as magical. As @oldmansrock, the account that posted the video, wrote, “the way that Dolores could challenge the pitch but still stay on key, that is the mark of an accomplished singer. It sounds dissonant compared to the manufactured material of today, where every tone is perfect, but hers is oh so human, and so very Irish! It is beautiful!”

But don’t just take their word for it. Watch:

 


If this had you wanting to pull up a Cranberries playlist on your Spotify to listen to for the rest of the day, you're not alone. Down in the comments, the renewed love for O’Riordan was palpable.

“What sits deep with me is that no one sounds like her. Her voice is unmistakable. Whatever her take on a song/lyric? It was authentically, soul-touching Dolores.

“She was unbelievably talented and the cranberries are criminally underrated.”

“Her Irish vocal sweep ups are amazing.”

 ireland, irish, irish flag, shamrock The Cranberries hailed from Limerick, Ireland.  Giphy GIF by Curtains Cool 

“She was just brilliant!!! Incredibly talented as well as a lovely and kind human being. I love and miss her. I don't know how anyone can have a bad word to say about this. I thought it was brilliant, both her live cover and studio cover. I wish people weren't so stubborn. I can accept covers no problem if the singer is talented enough, and she most certainly is. ❤️”

“A keening Irish queen. Her voice will always stir me.”

“An actual once in a generation talent.”

“Also a master of the microphone. She knows exactly where the sweet spot is for every note.”

“She could melt your heart with that voice, or completely blow you away. Missed dearly, but never forgotten. ❤️”

 the cranberries, dolores o'riordan, music, irish bands Dolores O'Riordan in 2007 upload.wikimedia.org  

This cover would go on to be a part to the Cranberries’ third album, To The Faithful Departed, which was released in 1996 and became the band’s highest-charting album on the US Billboard 200, and was praised for its darker tone as well as its themes of grief and loss.

After O’Riordan died from drowning due to alcohol intoxication in January 2018, the Cranberries would disband in 2019, but they released their final album, In the End, that year. It was comprised of some of O'Riordan's unfinished demo tapes.

While O’Riordan met the same tragic fate that befalls many artists, especially those in the music industry, her spirit lives on in her art. Because she put so much of herself into her craft, even bite-sized clips of her performances, many years later, inspire those who listen to it. That’s something worth celebrating.

By the way, you can catch a full video of the cover below.

  - YouTube  youtu.be  

 

This article originally appeared in February.

Update: Since this article was published two days ago, the GoFundMe total has risen from $1.8 to more than $3 million.

The Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation in the southwestern U.S. have been hit hard by the coronavirus outbreak. With a third of the population having no running water, proper virus-avoiding hygiene is nearly impossible. Access to groceries is limited, and the community has a high number of elderly and individuals with health conditions that put them at higher risk of complications from the virus.

A GoFundMe fundraiser was organized on behalf of the Rural Utah Project Education Fund to raise money for groceries, water, health supplies, and other necessary items in these Native communities. And this week, they have received a huge influx of donations from a seemingly unlikely source—Ireland.

If you're wondering what would prompt people on an island across the Atlantic to send money to a specific community in the U.S., the answer is simple. Gratitude.


In 1847, Native American tribes were struggling to get established after being forced to relocate from their homelands during the cruel and shameful Trail of Tears. The tribes had suffered greatly and had very little. But when the Choctaw nation heard about the suffering of the Irish people during the potato famine, they pulled together a donation of $170—around $5000 in today's dollars—to send to Ireland.

That collective act of sacrificial generosity was not forgotten. And now people in Ireland are repaying that gift many times over in a beautiful expression of historic human connectedness.

The GoFundMe currently sits at more than $1.8 million of a $2 million goal, thanks in no small part to a flood of donations from Ireland. And as the donations of $10, $20, $30 keep rolling in, Irish people are leaving lovely messages of gratitude, solidarity, and hope along with them:

"Ireland remembers the Navajo kindness in her hour of need."

"In remembrance of the kindness shown to my country by your fellow native Americans, the Choctaw people, during a time of dire need. Gach rath oraibh uilig." [Translation: "Best of luck to you all."]

"I donated because when you had nothing, you gave something to help Ireland."

"Yá'át'ééh from Ireland. The Native American donation all those years ago was never forgotten. There have been songs written about your generosity. I am glad to be able to return the favour in some small part. Ahóá!"

Vanessa Tulley, one of the fundraiser organizers, acknowledged the outpouring of love and money coming from Ireland in an update:

"Several of our recent donations for our GoFundMe campaign have been inspired by the Great Hunger Famine in Ireland which started in 1845.

During this difficult time, in 1847, the Choctaw Nation provided $170 of relief aid to the Irish to help them (today that is the equivalent of $5,000). Not long before the Great Hunger Famine in Ireland, 60,000 Native Americans, including the Choctaw people, had suffered through the experience of the Trail of Tears. The death of many people on the Trail of Tears sparked empathy for the Irish people in their time of need. Thus, the Choctaw extended $170 of relief aid.

173 years later to today, the favor is returned through generous donations from the Irish people to the Navajo Nation during our time of crisis. A message from Irish donor, Pat Hayes, sent from Ireland across the ocean: "From Ireland, 170 years later, the favour is returned! To our Native American brothers and sisters in your moment of hardship."

The heartache is real. We have lost so many of our sacred Navajo elders and youth to COVID-19. It is truly devastating. And a dark time in history for our Nation. In moments like these, we are so grateful for the love and support we have received from all around the world. Acts of kindness from indigenous ancestors passed being reciprocated nearly 200 years later through blood memory and interconnectedness.Thank you, IRELAND, for showing solidarity and being here for us."

Absolutely beautiful. Humanity wins the day once again.

If you'd like to donate to help the Navajo Nation and Hopi Reservation in their COVID-19 fight, you can find the GoFundMe here.

Correction: This post has been updated to clarify that the 1847 donation came from the Choctaw Nation during the Trail of Tears. The Navajo tribe were forcibly relocated from their lands during "The Long Walk" of 1864.

More

Ireland's prime minister offers Donald Trump some St. Patrick's Day advice on immigration.

'For many people around the globe, [St. Patrick] is ... the patron of immigrants.'

In his final St. Patrick's Day visit to the White House as Ireland's leader, Enda Kenny, offered some timely thoughts on immigration.

GIFs via The White House/YouTube.

In a bit of advice to the U.S. — an old friend of Ireland — the Irish prime minister recounted how immigration helped mold a strong relationship between the two countries, making a subtle plea to the new president to look for the value in those who wish to come to the U.S.


Kenny urged Trump to find a compassionate solution to undocumented immigrants in the U.S.

"There are millions out there who want to play their part for America — if you like, who want to make America great. Heard it before?" Kenny joked, offering up a simple, friendly, and clear message:

Whether Trump takes Kenny up on his advice is anyone's guess, but it's certainly a message worth spreading.

Check out the full address below, beginning about 10 minutes in:

Yes, a lot of bad things happened this week. We all know that. But so did a lot of great things!

A Philadelphia dance center held a daddy-daughter ballet class. A brave 19-year-old used his iPhone flashlight to save a young girl from a deadly house fire. A man in California has been single-handedly reviving a rare and beautiful species of butterfly in his backyard.

And that's not nearly all.


Here's a look at some of the wonderful things that happened this week. It'll make you feel good about the world again.

1. Pollution has gotten out of control in India, so Dehli banned all disposable plastic.

Sorry, floating bag from "American Beauty," this was the right move for our planet and should have a major impact on our oceans.

2. American Girl just released its first boy doll.

Image courtesy of American Girl.

Parents have been clamoring for more diversity from American Girl for years, and so in addition to Everett, the company's newest line will also feature a Hawaiian doll and a new black doll.

Boys play with dolls, too! Heck, yeah.

3. No longer the whitest show on television: Rachel Lindsay will be the first black "Bacehlorette."

GIF via The Bachelor

About. Damn. Time.

4. A city in Iowa is saving the bees!

City officials in Cedar Rapids are working to create a 1,000-acre "bee paradise" full of grasses and wildflowers to help rejuvenate dying populations of the crucial little pollinators.

5. But if that doesn't work, maybe these bee-like pollinating robots will.

An industrial design student in Georgia, Anna Haldewang, came up with a prototype for a tiny drone that may be able to mimic the important role bees play in keeping crops and plant-life thriving.

Man, young people are smart these days.

Image courtesy of Savannah College of Art and Design.

6. A father said his son with autism would only eat Star Wars macaroni and cheese, so William Shatner rallied the internet to help.

Kids with autism sometimes have trouble adapting to change, so when Reed Botwright ran out of his son's favorite dinner, he put out a call for help.

Okay, this is a bit of a call for help. I'm putting this out to the interwebz and social netz for some assistance. As...

Posted by Reed Botwright on Sunday, February 12, 2017

Then, William Shatner, aka Captain Kirk, did this and started an incredible domino chain of giving.

7. People in Ireland raised hundreds of thousands of dollars to send a girl to the U.S. for a rare and expensive cancer treatment.

Shauntelle Tynan's video pleading for people to help her raise the money she'd need to visit Houston, Texas, went massively viral. Her story struck a nerve in Ireland, whose people came together to raise a staggering 713,511 euros, or nearly $800,000, to help pay for treatment.

Me right now. GIF via 30 Rock.

8. A bunch of Sikh temples in California opened their doors and hearts to dam evacuees.

When the Oroville Dam in Northern California failed this past week, over 100,000 people were forced to evacuate. Lots of people stepped up to help with housing and shelter, including several Sikh temples in the area.

#LoveTrumpsHate

9. A school bus driver in Tennessee built a new ramp for a girl on his route with special needs.

She already had a wheelchair ramp at her house, but it didn't quite reach the bus. So Thomas Mitchell rounded up some buddies and built her a new one, no questions asked.

10. A high school student in Ohio handmade valentines for everyone in the school.

The girl, who has remained anonymous, spent months handfolding over a thousand origami hearts that say "You are loved."

On Valentine's Day, she and some friends placed them on every locker in the school.

Here is a follow up to an earlier post today sharing a random act of kindness by students at THS.This actually turned...

Posted by Troy High School on Tuesday, February 14, 2017

There's bound to be great news next week, too. You just have to look a little harder for it these days. But I promise you, it's worth it!