Russell Crowe recounts chance encounter with Sinead O’Connor

Russell Crowe has recalled a chance encounter with the late Sinead O’Connor following her death last week aged 56.

The actor took to Twitter to recount the story of meeting her while he was working in Ireland last year.

Crowe said he was sitting outside a pub with a group of friends when “a woman with purpose strode past us”.

“Puffy parker zipped to the nape and her bowed head covered in a scarf. One of my new friends muttered an exclamation, jumped up and pursued the woman,” he continued. “Thirty metres down the road the friend and the woman embraced and he (waved) me over. There under streetlights with mist on my breath, I met Sinéad. She looked in my eyes, and uttered with disarming softness, ‘Oh, it’s you, Russell.’”

Crowe went on to recall that O’Connor came back to his table with his friend, where she ordered some tea. “In a conversation without fences we roamed through the recent Dublin heatwave, local politics, American politics, the ongoing fight for indigenous recognition in many places, but particularly in Australia, her warm memory of New Zealand, faith, music, movies and her brother the writer.”

“I had the opportunity to tell her she was a hero of mine,” Crowe continued. “When her second cup was taking on the night air, she rose, embraced us all and strode away into the fog-dimmed streetlights. We sat there the four of us and variously expressed the same thing: What an amazing woman. Peace be with your courageous heart, Sinéad.”

Last year, working in Ireland, having a pint in the cold outside a Dalkey pub with some new friends, a woman with purpose strode past us. Puffy parker zipped to the nape and her bowed head covered in a scarf. One of my new friends muttered an exclamation, jumped up

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) July 26, 2023

and pursued the woman. Thirty metres down the road the friend and the woman embraced and he waived me over. There under streetlights with mist on my breath, I met Sinéad. She looked in my eyes, and uttered with disarming softness “ oh, it’s you Russell”.

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) July 26, 2023

She came with us back to the table and sat in the cold and ordered a hot tea. In a conversation without fences we roamed through the recent Dublin heatwave, local politics, American politics, the ongoing fight

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) July 26, 2023

When her second cup was taking on the night air, she rose, embraced us all and strode away into the fog-dimmed streetlights.
We sat there the four of us and variously expressed the same thing. What an amazing woman.

Peace be with your courageous heart Sinéad.

— Russell Crowe (@russellcrowe) July 26, 2023

Bob Geldof also took a moment to remember his interactions with O’Connor, recalling text messages she had sent him just weeks before she was found unresponsive in her home in London.

“She was a very good friend of mine,” he said. “We were talking right up to a couple of weeks ago. Some of her texts were laden with desperation and despair and sorrow and some were ecstatically happy. She was like that.”