Dolores O'Riordan

Only we were in The Cranberries. Only we know what it was like being in that crazy whirlwind of fame. We have children and spouses and lives, but there is only one Cranberries. ”

I was so famous that I couldn't leave the hotel room. I remember looking out of the window at all these fans but just feeling so isolated. ”

You can't be in a situation where you are not happy. It's as simple as that. ”

My mom always had a softer spot for boys, as a lot of Irish women do. If you were a girl, you'd have to sing or wear a pretty dress. But boys could just sit there and be brilliant for sitting there and being boys. It makes you that little bit more forward. Pushy. I was singing, always. ”

I got to a point where I referred to myself as Dolores of the Cranberries instead of myself because I alienated my real self from what I became so much. ”

U2 and Sinead O'Connor - I haven't a clue why we're compared to them. Apart from us all being Irish, we've nothing in common. ”

Each gig is brilliant and fun. When it becomes a routine, we'll take a break. There's no point in doing it if you don't enjoy it. ”

Why can't we actually sing and get respected as good singers and songwriters without having our boobs and butt hanging out? ”

I was so young when I got so famous, and then I kind of put up a wall around myself. I didn't really want to show people any fragilities or fears; I was trying to be this tough person that I felt was expected of me. ”

We have a certain bond that we don't have with anyone else on the planet. You just have that bond, that journey when you are in a band together. ”