Rebellious Facts About Sinéad O'Connor, The Irish Icon
There are lots of rags-to-riches stories, and there are lots of eccentric celebrities. But there was only one Sinéad O’Connor. She clawed her way out of a horrific childhood to pop stardom. But the higher they rise, the harder they fall.
1. Her Parents Were The Worst
In kindergarten, Sinéad won a prize for being able to curl up into the smallest ball, but her teachers and classmates would’ve been horrified to learn why she was so good at it. At home, her parents–who eventually divorced–were extremely horrible to Sinéad and her four siblings. This left permanent scars and sent her down a dark path.
2. She Was A Kleptomaniac
The songstress admitted she was addicted to stealing. While Sinéad felt guilty, she wouldn’t—or maybe couldn’t—stop. Even worse, these thefts were shameless. For example, she would take flowers from people’s gardens.
She then had the audacity to knock on their doors and sell them those flowers. Eventually, she pushed her luck too far.
3. She Had A Run In With The Law
Workers at a shoe shop thought it was harmless to let a girl into the staff room to try items on. They thought wrong. Sinéad swiped an employee’s wallet and got away with it. Then she had the nerve to return in hopes of doing it again. But the employees didn’t forget her, and they certainly didn’t forgive.
They trapped her in the store and called the authorities. Sinéad begged them not to tell her mom, but Johanna Marie O'Grady was far from innocent herself.
4. Her Mom Was A Lawbreaker
Turns out, Sinéad got her sticky fingers from her mama. Johanna even went as far as taking money out of collection plates at church, and encouraged her daughter to ask strangers for “donations".
This was one of the countless things that strained their relationship to the point where Sinéad went to live with her dad instead.
But Sinéad couldn’t leave her crooked life behind—and paid the price.
