WE don't usually associate the words happy or peaceful with Sinead O'Connor, but the Irish songbird seems to be both of those nice things these days, as she recently completed her U.S. tour in support of her CD Theology - a journey that also included a high-profile appearance on Oprah, the afternoon talk show fronted by . . . well, the richest woman in showbiz doesn't really need a last name, so we'll proceed. In a revealing - dare we say cheerful - interview in last weekend's Sunday Tribune, Sinead talked about the reaction she received here in the States while on tour, and her experience as a guest on the country's top TV gabfest.

Us Yanks, she said, gave her an "absolute unbelievable welcome," she said. "I never did have trouble with the fans," she added. "It was always the newspapers."

Which is why a TV appearance with Ms. Winfrey last month presented Sinead with the perfect unfiltered forum to get her message across - namely, the horribleness she's had to deal with since being diagnosed as bipolar a few years back, including a suicide attempt.

Still, going one on one with an icon like Oprah was pretty daunting, the singer admits - "surreal and freaky" were her exact words.

"I couldn't focus my mind. I kept looking at Oprah going, 'F**k I'm on the Oprah Winfrey show.' I had my plan worked out and then of course I forgot it," she says.

Sinead as comedienne? Have a read of these witty words.

"Who would have thought that being crazy would get you on Oprah? I thought that would be the thing that would never get me on Oprah. I was thinking of jumping around the sofa, but they took them all away after Tom Cruise jumped up and down on it declaring his love for Katie Holmes." Funny!

Seriously, it seems as if Sinead, at the age of 40, has finally gotten a grip on her problems, both medical and professional, and is ready to face the future in a positive frame of mind.

"I wouldn't claim that I am entirely the victim. I think there is a 50-50 share between me and the way the media dealt with me," she said.

"I felt life wasn't worth living. There was pressure on me that I think would have made most people suicidal. And partly because it is sometimes your own behavior that gets you into the situations."

Indeed. After her confab with Oprah Sinead's website was bombarded with messages of hope and inspiration . . . with the odd wacko sprinkled in for good measure.

"Someone posted a message saying, 'Better luck next time,'" she laughed in reference to her suicide attempt. "Wooaah!"