This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive.

Dolores O’Riordan, Late Cranberries Singer, Loved Her Home In Southern Ontario

She liked that she could "really get lost" in Canada.
Dolores O’Riordan, seen in February 2016, used to own a home in Ontario.
PA Wire/PA Images
Dolores O’Riordan, seen in February 2016, used to own a home in Ontario.

Fans of late Cranberries singer Dolores O'Riordan may not have known about her connection to Canada.

Riordan, 46, was found dead in a London, U.K. hotel Monday. The cause of her death is currently unknown.

While most associate her with her native Ireland, she was married to a Canadian, according to the Toronto Star, and spent part of her time in southern Ontario.

In 1994, O'Riordan and now ex-husband Don Burton bought a house on Big Bald Lake near Peterborough, which is northeast of Toronto, reported the Peterborough Examiner. Burton was also her manager.

The view from a home on Big Bald Lake, near Buckhorn, Ont.
Shawn Hensen/Google Maps
The view from a home on Big Bald Lake, near Buckhorn, Ont.

The couple and their children, including a child from Burton's previous relationship, split their time between the Ontario home and Ireland, according to The Canadian Press.

She told CP in a 2009 interview that she couldn't get over Canada's size in comparison to her home country.

"You can really get lost here, and I like that," she said.

"The seasons are so dramatic here — from the snow in the winter to the beauty of the autumn, the colours of the leaves falling — so I have a piano outside my window and sometimes I start off there with ideas, just using nature as a backdrop."

O'Riordan posed on Big Bald Lake in the cover art for her final solo album, "No Baggage," according to the Examiner story.

Genius.com

But there were turbulent times too. The singer and Burton were sued by their former nanny, Joy Fahy, for alleged breach of contract and negligence, reported the Irish Times.

Fahy also accused Burton of false imprisonment, claiming that he confined her to a bedroom in the Ontario home and banned her from leaving. In 2004, an Irish judge ruled against Fahy on that claim and several others.

O'Riordan moved back to Ireland in 2013, and she and Burton split the next year, according to the Peterborough Examiner. It's unclear whether they still owned the lakefront home at the time of her death.

Close
This HuffPost Canada page is maintained as part of an online archive. If you have questions or concerns, please check our FAQ or contact support@huffpost.com.