Death of son of Sinéad O’Connor referred for investigation by NRP

The death of the teenage son of singer Sinéad O’Connor and musician Donal Lunny is to be referred to the National Review Panel (NRP) for investigation.

Shane O’Connor (17) died a day after he left Tallaght hospital, with his body found in the Bray/Shankill area of Dublin on Friday.

He is understood to have been admitted to hospital following a number of incidents of serious self-harm, according to The Irish Times, and to have been known to Tusla, the Child and Family Agency.

In a series of social media posts, Ms O’Connor said she had identified her son’s remains and questioned how he had been able to leave the hospital on Thursday.

The NRP was set up in 2010 following the Ryan Report to review serious incidents, including the deaths, of children in care and/or known to the child protection system.

Tusla did not issue a statement in relation to the death of Mr O’Connor.

A spokeswoman for Tallaght hospital said: “The HSE cannot comment on individual cases when to do so might reveal information in relation to identifiable individuals, breaching the ethical requirement on us to observe our duty of confidentiality.”

A Garda spokeswoman confirmed a body of a young man had been found and gardaí were “assisting the coroner in preparing a file for an inquest”.

Ms O’Connor has three other children, aged between 15 and 33 years. In a tweet Ms O’Connor said “the very light of my life, decided to end his earthly struggle today and is now with God”.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this article, you can freephone the Samaritans 24 hours a day for confidential support at 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org.

The contact information for a range of mental health supports is available at mentalhealthireland.ie/get-support/.

In the case of an emergency, or if you or someone you know is at risk of suicide or self-harm, dial 999/112.