Sinead O'Connor on stage at a live performance of Pink Floyd's rock opera 'The Wall' in Berlin, Germany, 21st July 1990. The concert was staged to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1990
Sinead O'Connor with her new man, singer Hugh Harris, 18th July 1990.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1991
Peter Gabriel and Sinead O'Connor.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1992
Sinead O'Connor rips up a picture of Pope John Paul II October 3, 1992, on the TV show 'Saturday Night Live'.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1992
Sinead O'Connor holding a bouquet of white roses, 22nd October 1992.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1992
Pilton, Somerset, England, United Kingdom
Sinead O'Connor at Glastonbury Festival, 27th June 1992.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1993
Chicago, Illinois, United States
Sinead O'Connor performs onstage, Chicago, Illinois, September 1, 1993.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1993
Marcus Ampitheater, Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States
Sinead O'Conner performs onstage during the WOMAD Concert Tour at Marcus Ampitheater on September 3, 1993, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1993
Kurt Cobain of Nirvana with wife Courtney Love and daughter Frances Bean Cobain, and Sinead O'Connor.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1995
Sinead O'Connor performing on stage, 1995.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1998
Rose Bowl, Pasadena, California, United States
Sinead O'Connor during Lilith Fair Concert at Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, United States.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1998
San Jose State University, San Jose, California, United States
Sinead O'Connor Performing at the Guiness Fleadh at San Jose State University in San Jose.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
1999
Gay Byrne and musician Sinead O'Connor on the final episode of the Late Late Show, May 21, 1999.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2002
Sinead O'Connor, 2002.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2002
Shoreham Hotel, New York City, New York, United States
Sinead O'Connor talks about her latest CD at the Shoreham Hotel.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2003
The Point Theatre, Dublin, Ireland
Sinead O'Connor sings in concert January 18, 2003, at The Point Theatre in Dublin, Ireland.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2003
Old Billingsgate Market, London, England, United Kingdom
Sinead O'Connor and Stephen Gately attend the Fundraiser After Party after the 'Grand Concert' for the Old Vic Theatre in Old Billingsgate Market on February 5, 2003, in London.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2005
Los Angeles, California, United States
Sinead O'Connor and Craig Ferguson during David Duchovny and Sinead O'Connor Visit 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson' - October 5, 2005, at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2005
Porchester Hall, London, Great Britain
Sinead O'Connor during 2005 Mojo Honours List Awards - Arrivals at Porchester Hall in London, Great Britain.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2005
CBS Televsion City, Los Angeles, California, United States
Sinead O'Connor during David Duchovny and Sinead O'Connor Visit 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson' - October 5, 2005, at CBS Televsion City in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2005
Mojo Awards - Jim Marshall, Robbie Shakespeare, Paul Weller, Suggs, Robert Cray, Sly Dunbar, Robert Wyatt, Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Earle, Sinead O'Connor, Jimmy Page, Roy Harper, Slash, Bill Wyman, Chris Hillman, Dizzee Rascal, Romeo Stodart, Gaz Coombes, Jeff Beck.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2007
Border's - Columbus Circle, New York City, New York, United States
Sinead O'Connor during Sinead O'Connor In-Store Appearance For Her New CD 'Theology' - June 26, 2007, at Border's - Columbus Circle in New York City, New York, United States.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2007
Hylands Park, Chelmsford, England, United Kingdom
Sinead O'Connor performs at the V Festival at Hylands Park in Chelmsford.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2007
Hamburg, Germany
Sinead O'Connor performing in Hamburg, Germany.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2008
Sinead O'Connor, Sinead O'Connor performing on stage at the Night of the Proms.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2010
Parish House of the (Episcopal) Church, Ascension, Manhattan, New York City, New York, United States
Sinead O'Connor outside the Parish House of the (Episcopal) Church of the Ascension, Manhattan, New York City, 2010.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2011
Chateau Marmont, Los Angeles, California, United States
Sinead O'Connor attends amfAR's Inspiration Gala at the Chateau Marmont on October 27, 2011, in Los Angeles, California.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2011
Pavilion Theatre, Manchester, England, United Kingdom
Sinead O'Connor performs at Manchester International Festival at Pavilion Theatre on July 1, 2011, in Manchester, England.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2012
County Wicklow, Ireland
Sinead O'Connor posed at her home in County Wicklow, the Republic Of Ireland on 3rd February 2012.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2012
Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, United States
Sinead O'Connor performs at 'Here But I'm Gone: A 70th Birthday Tribute to Curtis Mayfield' concert at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on July 20, 2012, in New York City.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2012
Le Trianon, Paris, France
Sinead O'Connor performs at Le Trianon on April 15, 2012 in Paris, France.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2012
County Wicklow, Ireland
Sinead O'Connor posed at her home in County Wicklow, Republic Of Ireland on 3rd February 2012.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2013
Dublin, Ireland
Sinead O'Connor attends the Late Late show at RTE Studios on October 4, 2013, in Dublin, Ireland.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2013
Royal Festival Hall, London, England, United Kingdom
Sinead O'Connor performs her Christmas Show on stage at the Royal Festival Hall on December 10, 2013, in London, United Kingdom.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2013
Soho hotel, New York City, New York, United States
Sinead O'Connor leaves her Soho hotel on November 11, 2013, in New York City.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2013
Robin Hill Country Park, Newport, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom
Sinead O'Conner performs at Day 2 of Bestival at Robin Hill Country Park on September 6, 2013, in Newport, Isle of Wight, United Kingdom.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2014
Milan, Italy
Sinead O'Connor attends 'Che Tempo Che Fa' Italian Tv Show on October 5, 2014, in Milan, Italy.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2014
Vicar Street, Dublin, Ireland
Sinead O'Connor performs on stage at Vicar Street on December 16, 2014, in Dublin, Ireland.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2014
Lulworth Castle, Wareham, England, United Kingdom
Sinead O'Connor performs on stage at Camp Bestival at Lulworth Castle on August 3, 2014, in Wareham, United Kingdom.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2014
Stradbally Estate, Stradbally, Ireland
Sinead O'Connor performs on stage at Electric Picnic at Stradbally Estate on August 31, 2014, in Stradbally, Ireland.
Gallery of Sinéad O'Connor
2015
Barbican Centre, London, England, United Kingdom
Sinead O'Connor performs on stage at Barbican Centre on April 13, 2015, in London, United Kingdom.
Achievements
Membership
Awards
MTV Video Music Award
1990
Universal Amphitheater, Universal City, California, United States
Sinead O'Connor attends the Seventh Annual MTV Video Music Awards on September 6, 1990, at Universal Amphitheater in Universal City, California.
Sinead O'Connor on stage at a live performance of Pink Floyd's rock opera 'The Wall' in Berlin, Germany, 21st July 1990. The concert was staged to mark the fall of the Berlin Wall in November 1989.
Old Billingsgate Market, London, England, United Kingdom
Sinead O'Connor and Stephen Gately attend the Fundraiser After Party after the 'Grand Concert' for the Old Vic Theatre in Old Billingsgate Market on February 5, 2003, in London.
Sinead O'Connor and Craig Ferguson during David Duchovny and Sinead O'Connor Visit 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson' - October 5, 2005, at CBS Television City in Los Angeles, California, United States.
CBS Televsion City, Los Angeles, California, United States
Sinead O'Connor during David Duchovny and Sinead O'Connor Visit 'The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson' - October 5, 2005, at CBS Televsion City in Los Angeles, California, United States.
Mojo Awards - Jim Marshall, Robbie Shakespeare, Paul Weller, Suggs, Robert Cray, Sly Dunbar, Robert Wyatt, Siouxsie Sioux, Steve Earle, Sinead O'Connor, Jimmy Page, Roy Harper, Slash, Bill Wyman, Chris Hillman, Dizzee Rascal, Romeo Stodart, Gaz Coombes, Jeff Beck.
Border's - Columbus Circle, New York City, New York, United States
Sinead O'Connor during Sinead O'Connor In-Store Appearance For Her New CD 'Theology' - June 26, 2007, at Border's - Columbus Circle in New York City, New York, United States.
Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center, New York City, New York, United States
Sinead O'Connor performs at 'Here But I'm Gone: A 70th Birthday Tribute to Curtis Mayfield' concert at Avery Fisher Hall, Lincoln Center on July 20, 2012, in New York City.
Shuhada' Davitt (born Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor) is an Irish singer-songwriter who rose to fame in the late 1980s with her debut album The Lion and the Cobra. As Sinéad O'Connor, she achieved worldwide success in 1990 with a new arrangement of Prince's song "Nothing Compares 2 U".
Background
O'Connor was born in Glenageary in County Dublin and was named after Sinéad de Valera, wife of Irish President Éamon de Valera and mother of the doctor presiding over the delivery, and Saint Bernadette of Lourdes. She is the third of five children, sister to novelist Joseph, Eimear, John, and Eoin.
Her parents are Sean O'Connor, a structural engineer later turned barrister and chairperson of the Divorce Action Group, and Marie O'Connor. In 1979 O'Connor left her mother and went to live with her father and his new wife. At the age of 15, her shoplifting and truancy led to her being placed for eighteen months in a Magdalene Asylum, the Grianán Training Centre run by the Order of Our Lady of Charity. In some ways, she thrived there, especially in the development of her writing and music, but she also chafed under the imposed conformity. Unruly students there were sometimes sent to sleep in the adjoining nursing home, an experience of which she later commented, "I have never - and probably will never - experience such panic and terror and agony over anything."
Education
In the early Eighties, Sinéad’s father sent her to Sion Hill, in Blackrock - a school for girls with behavioral problems, run by Dominican nuns - and then to a succession of boarding schools that included Mayfield College, in Drumcondra, and Newtown School, in Waterford. “I sent her to these places,” he says, “because I couldn’t handle the problem any other way. She was resentful, but she also knew that she needed help. And she did go through a tremendous change pattern while she was in Waterford. That kid came out of that school, and she never looked back insofar as moral integrity is concerned. She’s now absolutely and fiercely honest, and she wasn’t when she went into that school.”
Sinéad's music career began when she was "discovered" by the drummer of the popular Irish band In Tua Nua and co-wrote their hit song "Take My Hand." Before finishing school, O'Connor ran away to Dublin, where she sang and played guitar on the street and in pubs and worked for a singing telegram service.
While performing with a Dublin band called Ton Ton Macoute, O'Connor caught the attention of the two owner-managers of a small London record label called Ensign Records. Ensign released her debut album, The Lion and the Cobra, late in 1987. Critics lauded O'Connor's powerful and expressive voice and noted the complexity of her songs, even while acknowledging their decidedly uncommercial nature. Though it had no major hit singles, the album eventually sold over 500,000 copies and went platinum.
With the 1990 release of O'Connor's second album, I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, the bald-headed singer-songwriter became an international star. Driven by the phenomenal success of the smash hit single "Nothing Compares 2 U" (a once-obscure song written by Prince and first recorded by a band called the Family), the album shot to the top of the Billboard charts and nabbed O'Connor four Grammy Award nominations including Best Album, Best Song, Best Female Vocalist, and Best Alternative Album. The video for "Nothing Compares 2 U" won the MTV Award for Video of the Year, and O'Connor was named Artist of the Year in 1991 by Rolling Stone.
Her next two albums, Am I Not Your Girl? (1992) and Universal Mother (1994), made far less of an impact either critically or commercially. Soon, however, O'Connor became famous for her controversial public outbursts, beginning in 1989 when she announced her support for the radical Irish Republican Army (IRA); she retracted the statement one year later. She again made headlines in 1990 when she refused to appear onstage in New Jersey if "The Star-Spangled Banner" were played before the concert. In 1991, O'Connor boycotted the Grammy ceremony and refused her award for Best Alternative Album, maintaining that her absence was a protest against the extreme commercialism of the Grammy Awards.
Even more publicity surrounded a 1992 performance by O'Connor on Saturday Night Live, during which she tore up a photograph of Pope John Paul II, denouncing the Catholic Church as "the real enemy." Despite her contempt for the clerical hierarchy and to bring attention toward allegations of child abuse within the institution, O'Connor maintained she was a Catholic and devoutly spiritual. "It's not the man, obviously - it's the office and the symbol of the organization that he represents. I consider them to be responsible for the destruction of entire races of people and the subsequent existence of domestic and child abuse in every country they went into," the singer stated in a 1992 interview with Time magazine.
Aside from the release of her 1997 single, Gospel Oak, O'Connor's recording career faltered in the late 1990s, eclipsed by the turmoil in the singer's private life. In 1995, an extended custody battle began between O'Connor and her ex-lover, Irish journalist John Waters, over their infant daughter, Roisin. Plagued by Waters' bitter accusations that she was an unfit mother, O'Connor attempted suicide in March 1999. While recovering, O'Connor agreed to let Roisin live with Waters in Dublin. A few days later, however, she snatched the girl from Waters' home and flew with her back to London.
In 2000, O'Connor signed with Atlantic Records. Her first album in six years, Faith & Courage, was released later that year. Her personal life made headlines the following year. After a whirlwind romance, O'Connor married the British journalist Nick Sommerlad in a secret ceremony in the summer of 2001. But this union did not last. The pair soon split up. She went on to release an album of traditional Irish music, Sean-Nós Nua, in 2002.
O'Connor announced that she was retiring from music in 2003. She Who Dwells in the Secret Place of the Most High Shall Abide Under the Shadow of the Almighty (2003) was supposed to be her last album. According to People magazine, O'Connor posted this message on her website: "I am a very shy person, believe it or not. So I ask with love, that I be left in peace and privacy by people who love my records too." She welcomed a third child, a son named Shane, with Irish trad musician Donal Lunny around this time.
O'Connor did not retire from the music scene for long. In 2005, she released the reggae-influenced Throw Down Your Arms. O'Connor continued to produce new music with 2007's Theology and add to her family.
Despite her rocky personal life, O'Connor earned strong reviews for her 2012 effort How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?. Her next record, I'm Not Bossy, I'm the Boss (2014), also received a warm reception. In late 2015, O'Connor experienced some type of mental health crisis. She wrote two notes indicating that she was suicidal on her Facebook page before her family requested that the page be taken down. O'Connor was reportedly hospitalized after her first Facebook post.
In May 2016 O'Connor went missing for a day while biking in Chicago, only to be found by authorities soon after. She then proceeded to write about her personal struggles again on Facebook, this time a scathing attack on her family, blaming them for her mental health crisis.
In the late 1990s, Bishop Michael Cox of the Irish Orthodox Catholic and Apostolic Church ordained O'Connor as a priest. The Roman Catholic Church considers ordination of women to be invalid and asserts that a person attempting the sacrament of ordination upon a woman incurs excommunication. The bishop had contacted her to offer ordination following her appearance on the RTÉ’s Late Late Show, during which she told the presenter, Gay Byrne, that had she not been a singer, she would have wished to have been a Catholic priest. After her ordination, she indicated that she wished to be called Mother Bernadette Mary.
In a July 2007 interview with Christianity Today, O'Connor stated that she considers herself a Christian and that she believes in core Christian concepts about the Trinity and Jesus Christ. She said, "I think God saves everybody whether they want to be saved or not. So when we die, we’re all going home... I don’t think God judges anybody. He loves everybody equally." In an October 2002 interview, she credited her Christian faith in giving her the strength to live through and overcome the effects of her child abuse.
On 26 March 2010, O'Connor appeared on Anderson Cooper 360° to speak out about the Catholic sexual abuse scandal in Ireland. On 28 March 2010, she had an opinion piece published in the Sunday edition of the Washington Post in which she wrote about the scandal and her time in a Magdalene laundry as a teenager. Writing for the Sunday Independent she labelled the Vatican as "a nest of devils" and called for the establishment of an "alternative church", opining that "Christ is being murdered by liars" in the Vatican. Shortly after the election of Pope Francis she described the office of the Pope as an "anti-Christian office." O'Connor stated: "Well, you know, I guess I wish everyone the best, and I don’t know anything about the man, so I’m not going to rush to judge him on one thing or another, but I would say he has a scientifically impossible task, because all religions, but certainly the Catholic Church, is really a house built on sand, and it’s drowning in a sea of conditional love, and therefore it can’t survive, and actually the office of Pope itself is an anti-Christian office, the idea that Christ needs a representative is laughable and blasphemous at the same time, therefore it is a house built on sand, and we need to rescue God from religion, all religions, they’ve become a smokescreen that distracts people from the fact that there is a holy spirit, and when you study the Gospels you see the Christ character came to tell us that we only need to talk directly to God, we never needed Religion…"
In October 2018, O'Connor converted to Islam, calling it "the natural conclusion of any intelligent theologian's journey." The ceremony was conducted in Ireland by Sunni Islamic theologian Shaykh Dr Umar Al-Qadri. She also changed her name to Shuhada' Davitt. In a message on Twitter, she thanked fellow Muslims for their support and uploaded a video of herself singing the adhan, the Islamic call to prayer. She also posted photos of herself wearing a hijab.
Politics
O'Connor is a vocal supporter of a united Ireland, and called on the left-wing republican Sinn Féin party to be "braver". In December 2014 it was reported O'Connor had joined Sinn Féin. O'Connor has called for the "demolition" of the Irish Republic and its replacement with a new, united country. She has also called for key Sinn Féin politicians like Gerry Adams to step down because "they remind people of violence", referring to the Troubles.
In a 2015 interview with the BBC, O'Connor wished that Ireland had remained under British rule (which ended after the Irish War of Independence, except for Northern Ireland) because the church took over the country instead. Following the Brexit referendum in 2016, O'Connor wrote on Facebook "Ireland is officially no longer owned by Britain".
Views
O’Connor has written a series of open letters expressing ‘motherly’ concern for young artists including Justin Bieber and Britney Spears, singling out Cyrus’s Wrecking Ball video, in which the former child star appeared naked and licking a sledgehammer, advising Cyrus that she was being ‘pimped’ by the music industry.
Quotations:
"I don't believe in any kind of artistic snobbery or musical snobbery. You know, to me, the sexiest and the most spiritual words ever uttered in rock and roll are wop babaloo balop bam boom."
"I understand that we are actually complicated people but we are also dreadfully simple."
"The important thing about "brave" is, it doesn't mean you're not terrified."
"I grew up in a situation of extreme abuse, but there was no chance to talk about it, so music became the escape if you like."
"I don't do anything in order to cause trouble. It just so happens that what I do naturally causes trouble. I'm proud to be a troublemaker."
"I have also Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and I wouldn't have survived that if not for music. So I think for me, music was a soothing thing and it was also a place where you could say all the stuff that you couldn't say anywhere else."
"Islam - a religion horribly misrepresented by terrorists, which is like the IRA saying they represented Irish people. Islam is a BEAUTIFUL religion. would make you cry it's so beautiful... and gentle."
"In my belief, there's one spirit. I prefer to call it the Holy Spirit. I don't think it matters if you call it God or Allah or Jesus or Fred or David or too early in the morning or whatever."
"Women are to be valued for so much more than their sexuality. We aren’t merely objects of desire."
"Maybe it was mean, but I really don't think so. You asked for the truth and I told you."
"I'm a great cleaner. I'm actually kind of addicted to cleaning. I could clean anything."
"I don't feel like me unless I have my hair shaved. So even when I'm an old lady, I'm going to have it."
"At some point the entire population of the earth is gonna have to look back at the kind of essence of spirituality which is basically caring about each other."
"When you dishonor the the utter glory and majesty of black people, you lie. Your heart lies to you and you let it."
"Forgiveness is the most important thing. We all have to forgive what was done to us - the Irish people have to forgive. The African people. The Jewish people. We all have to forgive and understand the only way to stop the cycle of hate and abuse is not to allow yourself to get caught in it."
"God is something that needs rescuing from religion."
"You must not try to be too pure, you must fly closer to the sea."
"We have a tradition of passing our history orally and singing a lot of it and writing songs about it and there's kind of a calling in Irish voices when they're singing in their Irish accent."
"You have to hide what you are and it's really stressful and very bad for your self esteem. Because it's not obvious to people that you are ill, they treat you as if you're a pain in the ass, then you beat yourself up and you are already beating yourself up as a part of mental illness."
"I love songs, and I love songwriting, and there's a standard of songwriting within Chicago blues in particular. I don't like the sad blues, necessarily; the Chicago blues is what I like, which is the kind of blues you can dance to."
"We can love religion as we need rituals, but The Holy Spirit is a bird, free to fly and land where it likes. We don't actually need 'religion' in order to have a relationship with The Holy Spirit. Too many wars an violence over religion.We need to see it's all the same spirit and we are part of that spirit so we shouldn't be fighting over what name we call it. It's a free bird."
"My creative process is quite slow. I hear melodies in my head while I'm washing the dishes and I allow my subconscious to do the work."
"What pisses me off is when I've got seven or eight record company fat pig men sitting there telling me what to wear."
"I was getting a lot of pressure from people in show business about my being overweight because of medication, I was on 200 mg of amitriptiline. When I said this to my doctor, for some reason she took me completely off medication and she didn't really supervise properly."
Personality
Sometimes prone to controversial statements, Sinead O’Connor’s public image – so often distorted in the press - is at odds with the character which she became in private and, indeed her shows. Onstage at St. Lukes in London, her towering vocal performance is matched by a carefree, infectious spirit which matches jokes about nuns to a passionate, distinct knowledge of the Psalms, their culture and heritage. Admitting that she remains a profoundly introverted person, Sinead O’Connor still struggles to look at the audience during performances. "I’m actually an extremely shy person – I’m very good at coming across like I’m not – but actually I am quite cripplingly shy" she explains. "So the only way I can go onstage is to go into my own world, it’s the only way I can handle it. I close my eyes and if I look at the audience then I’m screwed. In fact, I’m going to the rock school in Dublin for a day or two’s work on how to open my eyes when I’m singing and actually stay near the microphone. You’ll notice a lot of the time when I’m live because I’m shy I stay away from the microphone. Pure shyness really."
Physical Characteristics:
While her shaved head was initially an assertion against traditional views of women, years later, O'Connor said she had begun to grow her hair back, but that after being asked if she was Enya, O'Connor shaved it off again. "I don't feel like me unless I have my hair shaved. So even when I'm an old lady, I'm going to have it."
On a 4 October 2007 broadcast of The Oprah Winfrey Show, O'Connor disclosed that she had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder four years earlier, and had attempted suicide on her 33rd birthday on 8 December 1999. Then, on Winfrey's "Where Are They Now?" show of 9 February 2014, O'Connor said that she had received three "second opinions" and was told by all three that she was not bipolar.
In August 2015 she revealed that she was to undergo a hysterectomy after suffering with gynaecological problems for over three years. O'Connor would later blame the hospital's refusal to administer hormonal replacement therapy after the operation as the main reason for her mental health issues in the subsequent years, stating "I was flung into surgical menopause. Hormones were everywhere. I became very suicidal. I was a basket case."
Interests
video games
Politicians
Gerry Adams
Writers
Joseph O'Connor
Music & Bands
Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Bob Marley, Siouxsie, the Banshees
Connections
O'Connor has four children and was married four times. She had her first son, Jake, with her first husband, music producer John Reynolds, who co-produced several of her albums, including Universal Mother. Reynolds and O'Connor married in 1987. Soon after the birth of her daughter Roisin in 1995, O'Connor and the girl's father, Irish journalist John Waters, began a long custody battle that ended with O'Connor agreeing to let Roisin live in Dublin with Waters.
In mid-2001, O'Connor wed British journalist Nick Sommerlad; the marriage ended in 2004. She had her third child, son Shane, in 2004 with musician Donal Lunny. In 2006 she had her fourth child, Yeshua Francis Neil Bonadio, whose father is Frank Bonadio.
O'Connor was married a third time on 22 July 2010, to longtime friend and collaborator Steve Cooney, and in late March 2011 made the decision to separate.
Her fourth marriage was to Irish therapist Barry Herridge. They wed on 9 December 2011 in Las Vegas, but their marriage ended after having "lived together for 7 days only". The following week, on 3 January 2012, O'Connor issued a further string of internet comments to the effect that the couple had re-united.