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Can we take it that as the billing is Sinead O'Connor and not Mother Mary Bernadette that her singing/conversational appearance…

Can we take it that as the billing is Sinead O'Connor and not Mother Mary Bernadette that her singing/conversational appearance at Dublin's HQ Hall of Fame tomorrow (as part of John Kelly's RTE Radio 1's Mystery Train) is a promotional rather than a religious one? Even if it is Easter Sunday?

These queries aside, to witness O'Connor (right) in such an intimate setting should be a riveting experience. For too long, the car-crash syndrome (you don't want to look, but something compels you to) has been part and parcel of O'Connor's public profile.

No one is saying this relatively unexpected appearance will be any different, which makes it all the more difficult to discern just how many people will be there for the music. Nevertheless, it remains possibly the most essential gig to be seen in Dublin in some time.

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea

Tony Clayton-Lea is a contributor to The Irish Times specialising in popular culture