The Cranberries

Dolores O’Riordan

Dolores O'Riordan was a huge Irish artist, best known for being the frontwoman of The Cranberries. His death touched a whole generation.

The Cranberries

The Cranberries are a legendary rock band made up of 4 Irishmen from Limerick. Famous worldwide for their committed lyrics on the Irish question and their incisive rock, The Cranberries are a legendary group, in the same vein as a band like U2.

The Cranberries’ Career

An Irish band with a recognizable musical signature

Zombie, Just My Imagination… These are some of the hits that revealed The Cranberries. But what is the story of this legendary band? How did they start?

It all began in Limerick, in 1989. At the time, 4 Irishmen decided to create a small rock band called “The Cranberries Saw Us.” It was then composed of:

Noel Anthony Hogan (guitarist)
Michael Gerard Hogan (bassist),
Fergal Patrick Lawler (drummer)
Niall Quinn (singer)

Unfortunately, Niall Quinn left the band a few months later, forcing the remaining members to find a new singer. After many searches, the singer turned out to be a woman, Dolores O’Riordan. Passionate about music since the age of 3, the young woman brought new energy to the band, which decided to shorten the name “The Cranberries Saw Us” to “The Cranberries.”

Dolores then began writing based on a demo from the previous band. She refined the song Linger and produced a track so exciting that Island Records signed the band. The first single was then released: “Uncertain,” which was a first failure. The band then decided to start anew by parting ways with their manager. They recorded their first album in March 1993, “Everybody Else Is Doing It, So Why Can’t We?” The success was mixed, and the band did not immediately break through…

To speed things up, The Cranberries toured the United States as the opening act for The The and Suede. The American public’s reception was much warmer, and MTV saw them as a promising band. To give them a boost, the music channel regularly aired the video “Linger.” The success was immediate: the single reached eighth place, and sales took off: it was the beginning of fame!

From July 1994, Dolores O’Riordan married the future band manager: Don Burton, former manager of Duran Duran.

In autumn 1994, the band released their second album, “No Need to Argue,” which would be their greatest success. The single “Zombie,” dedicated to the conflict in Northern Ireland, found international resonance and reached the top of the charts. This was followed by an international tour, then the release in 1996 of a third album, which this time did not achieve the hoped-for success.

In April 1999, a fourth album was released: “Bury the Hatchet.” Success returned, and the album sold over 3,500,000 copies. Then in 2001 came “Wake Up and Smell the Coffee,” which did quite well.

In 2003, it was a cold shower: The Cranberries announced their split, as well as Dolores O’Riordan’s upcoming solo career. They only reformed in 2009, to the great joy of fans. They then released a sixth album in 2012, titled “Roses,” then “Something Else” in 2017.

Unfortunately, Dolores O’Riordan died in London at the age of 46 on January 15, 2018, leaving behind a band missing its most famous member. Her sudden death caused a strong emotion in Ireland and around the world…