From rural Ireland to rock legend: The life of a generation-defining voice

She started singing at five and was writing songs by her early teens, yet her private life was marked by struggles that would later cast a shadow over her legacy. Raised in a strict Catholic household in rural Ireland, she grew up surrounded by folklore and isolation that deeply shaped her imagination. Born September 6, 1971, in Ballybricken, County Limerick, the youngest of nine children, she was named after the Lady of the Seven Dolours. Her father, Terence, suffered brain damage in a motorbike accident before her birth, while her mother, Eileen, worked as a school caterer, and the family lived modestly but with affection. She later described her childhood as sheltered and dreamlike, saying she spent hours talking to animals and confiding in her dog, who she felt understood her without judgment.