The Cranberries have spoken on some of their final memories of Dolores O’Riordan, after the singer died at the start of the year.

The singer’s body was found at a London hotel in January. A subsequent inquest ruled that she accidentally drowned in the bath due to alcohol intoxication.

Speaking to The Guardian, bandmates Fergal Lawler and Noel Hogan explained how the singer had confided in them about her mental health battles – after she was diagnosed with bipolar in 2016.

“It was only the last few years that she started talking about psychological problems, because she didn’t know herself”, Lawler explained. “She saw a few different therapists and realized what she had and she started getting treatment for it.”

Despite her battles, Hogan maintains that O’Riordan was on the way to recovery. The band were preparing for an arena tour of China, and O’Riordan was only troubled by a slipped disc in her back.

“She was a lot more herself”, he explained.“Especially last year, when we were rehearsing: you wouldn’t even know, because they had found the right cocktail of whatever it was she needed to be on. There wasn’t even a case of having to ‘work around it’. The hardest thing was her back, because playing live she could not move as freely as she used to.”

“She was really psyched about getting back out and really looking forward to China, because that was a big tour for us.”

They’ve also confirmed that they’re close to finishing a final album featuring O’Riordan’s lyrical efforts and vocals. It will mark the final chapter of the seminal Irish band.

“Lyrically, the new album is very strong. She always said she found it hard to write songs when she was happy”, Hogan explained.

“She always said: put a bit of misery in her life and it was easier. We will do this album and then that will be it. There is no need to continue.”

It is yet to be revealed when the new album will be released.

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