JOE'S Pub will be hosting a rare intimate acoustic gig with Sinead O'Connor on June 26. It will no doubt wet the whistle of the press in advance of a North American tour which has not been announced yet. Before you get too excited, the tiny space inside Joe's Pub has already been sold out of all tickets.

"I'll be playin' two intimate acoustic shows, me and another guitarist named Bill Shanley (Dublin lad) in Los Angeles and New York," she announces on her website. "I'm sure there'll be some TV and radio stuff there. I'm hopin' to visit my buddy David Letterman and give him and his viewers a fine taste from Theology."

As reported on these pages earlier, Theology is the new CD from the Divine Ms. O., and it is set to hit stores June 22. This will be a double disc, with one being a full band affair (the London side) and the same songs treated to a quiet acoustic arrangement (the Dublin side).

"Theology is an attempt to create a place of peace in a time of war and to provoke thought," says Sinead about her new studio album, the artist's first since her 2005 reggae collection, Throw Down Your Arms.

"The events of September 11, 2001 contributed to the writing of the songs very much so, as did events subsequently as they have panned out all over the world. The whole world became a very dangerous place on that day.

"I simply wanted to make a beautiful thing, out of something beautiful, which inspires me. Theology, the record, apart from being a place of peace and meditation, is a very personal emotional response."

Sinead has been posting journals in her online diary for fans.

"I'm here in London rehearsing with my kick ass band for a whole bunch of touring....this band is awesome," she writes.

"It's made up of some past band members and exciting new ones. John Reynolds on drums, Clare Kenny on electric cello, Caroline Dale on bass, Kieran Kiely on keyboards, accordion, etc., and Kevin Armstrong on guitars along with me.

"It's totally exciting to be lookin' at touring the world with such a killer band and doing many of my favorite songs along with ones from my new album Theology. It's a bit overwhelming lookin' at the year ahead with the things I have to deal with like mountains of press interviews, promotional stuff, rehearsals and gigs...balancing it all with being a good mum to my four wonderful kids 'tis no easy task...but on we go."