IRISH SINGER-SONGWRITER Sinéad O'Connor has been named as one of the world's most influential women of the century.
In compiling their list of the most influential women of the past century, TIME Magazine have named Sinéad, also known as Shuhada Sadaqat, as part of their 100 Women of the Year.
The prestigious outlet acknowledged the Dubliner in part due to her iconic political statement during her performance on Saturday Night Live in 1992, where she sang Bob Marley's 'War' and ripped up a photograph of the Pope in protest of the Catholic Church's child sex abuse and subsequent cover-up.
TIME nods to Sinéad's bravery in speaking out, saying "As an Irishwoman, O'Connor was aware of the danger of criticizing a powerful entity like the church.
"She took that risk in order to publicly demand justice for children who were sexually abused by members of the clergy."
The act caused a huge blow to Sinéad's reputation at the time, but 9 years later, the Pope admitted to the church's long history of abuse, and offered an apology to those affected.
TIME adds that Sinéad remains an influential figure, often speaking out about mental health struggles and sparking conversations which, while difficult, are necessary.
Sinéad herself said she is "truly honoured and delighted to have been included in Time Magazine's list of the 200 most influential women of the last 100 years", saying it "brought a little tear to [her] eye".
She pointed out, however, that she had never been sexually abused by a clergyman, which the article appeared to state, and that her abusers were not clerics.
Sinéad O'Connor has been active in the music industry for four decades, and shows no sign of slowing down: she is currently touring the United States and will return to Ireland for three dates in Cork, Dublin and Galway in the summer.
