Who are Sinéad O’Connor’s parents? The singer experienced a life of physical and sexual abuse from her mother. Let’s meet John Oliver “Seán” O’Connor and Johanna Marie O’Grady.
The singer and activist found worldwide fame with her epic ballad Nothing Compares 2 U in 1990 – one of the standout songs of the decade.
Sinéad who had a highly successful career in the entertainment industry died on Wednesday, July 26, 2023, at the age of 56.
As per RTÉ, the star’s family said in a statement: “It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of our beloved Sinéad. Her family and friends are devastated and have requested privacy at this very difficult time.”
While the world mourns the demise of the iconic singer, many want to know more about her parents. So, who are Sinéad O’Connor‘s parents? Read on for more.
Who are Sinéad O’Connor’s parents?
Irish singer Sinéad O’Connor was born on December 8, 1966, in the Cascia House Nursing Home at 13 Pembroke Road, Dublin.
She was born into a well-to-do family. Her parents were John Oliver “Seán” O’Connor and Johanna Marie O’Grady. John and Marie married in the Church of Our Lady of Good Counsel, Drimnagh, Dublin, in 1960.
Her father worked as a structural engineer and later turned barrister and chairperson of the Divorce Action Group. As for her mom, she was a stay-at-home mother who took care of their children.
The singer’s parents named her after two important figures they had met. First, her name Sinéad was after Sinéad de Valera, the mother of the doctor presiding over the delivery, and her maiden name Bernadette, was in honor of Saint Bernadette of Lourdes.
Bernadette of Lourdes was a French nun who lived in the 1800s. As a young teenager, she had a series of visions of the Virgin Mary in the Massabielle grotto, ultimately leading to the founding of the Shrine of Lourdes.
O’Connor’s parents had a rocky relationship and their split led to her early bad behavior.
Sinéad was born into a difficult family. She was eight years old when her parents got divorced, and her mother was handed custody of the three older children. When she was 13 years old, her father was granted custody of them following a protracted legal battle.
She experienced years of physical and sexual abuse under her mother’s control. Sinéad alleges that she and her siblings experienced physical abuse and violence while living with her mother. Since then, she has spent her entire life advocating for and speaking out against the reduction of child abuse.
Despite what her mom had put her through, she never developed any form of hatred but she later revealed she still loves her. According to her interview with Dr. Phil, she used music as a therapeutic treatment to heal wounds caused by her mom.
In 1979, O’Connor left her mother and went to live with her father, who had married Viola Margaret Suiter (née Cook) in Alexandria, Virginia, United States, three years prior in 1976.
At the age of 15, her shoplifting and truancy led to her being placed for eighteen months in a Magdalene asylum called 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.”
O’Connor’s mother Marie died in a car accident on 10 February 1985 aged 45 as she lost control of her car on an icy road and crashed into a bus when O’Connor was eighteen.
In June 1993, O’Connor wrote a public letter in The Irish Times that asked people to “stop hurting” her: “If only I can fight off the voices of my parents / and gather a sense of self-esteem / Then I’ll be able to REALLY sing …” The letter repeated accusations of abuse by her parents as a child which O’Connor had made in interviews. Her brother Joseph defended their father to the newspaper but agreed regarding their mother’s “extreme and violent abuse, both emotional and physical”. O’Connor said that month, “Our family is very messed up. We can’t communicate with each other. We are all in agony. I for one am in agony.”
Why did Sinéad O’Connor change her name?
Sinéads real name is Sinéad Marie Bernadette O’Connor but was professionally known as Sinéad O’Connor as her stage name.
In 2017, she changed her legal name to Magda Davitt, saying in an interview that she wished to be “free of the patriarchal slave names. Free of the parental curses.” On her conversion to Islam in October 2018, she adopted the name Shuhada, and before mid-2019 also changed her surname from Davitt to Sadaqat.
Was Sinéad O’Connor bald?
Sinéad O’Connor was also known to have always had shaved hair. This was not because she had cancer but it also served as a signature for her brand.
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 shave it.”
Who are Sinéad O’Connor’s siblings?
She was the third of five children; her siblings were novelist Joseph, Eimear, John, and Eoin.
Joseph Victor O’Connor is an Irish novelist. His 2002 historical novel Star of the Sea was an international number-one bestseller. Before success as an author, he was a journalist with the Sunday Tribune newspaper and Esquire magazine.
Eimear O’Connor was Sinead’s sister and she was a doctor and Psychology lecturer. She co-manages the Associate Lecturers and module delivery in Region 9 (North East England).
Eoin O’Connor is one of Ireland’s leading contemporary artists. As an Irish screenwriter, he has now engaged in a number of ambitious features. He’s famous for his cow close-ups, he also creates fabulous paintings of rural Ireland.
John O’Connor is an author. Some of his publications include The hunting rifle, Mark Felt: The Man Who Brought Down the White House, and more on ThriftBooks.com.