Sinéad O'Connor

Sinéad Marie Bernadette O'Connor (born December 8, 1966) is a critically-acclaimed, Irish pop music singer and songwriter. As well as her music, she is known for her unconventional appearance (she often has her head shaved) and controversial opinions.

Ordination

In the late 1990s, she was controversially ordained into the Independent Catholic group known as the Latin Tridentine Church, by Irish bishop Michael Cox, in disregard for the prohibition on the ordination of women within Roman Catholicism. As a result she automatically excommunicated herself from the Roman Catholic Church. Cox 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 service of ordination, she indicated that she wished to be called Mother Bernadette Mary.

Related Topics:
Independent Catholic - Latin Tridentine Church - Bishop - Michael Cox - Ordination of women - Excommunicate - RTÉ - Late Late Show - Gay Byrne

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In 2003 she announced that she was going to leave the music industry http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1471518/04252003/oconnor_sinead.jhtml

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and train to be a catechist (teacher of the Catholic religion to school children).

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O'Connor has been married twice. Her first marriage was to John Reynolds, a record producer, writer and musician who co-produced several albums, including her fourth, Universal Mother, in 1994. Her second marriage was to Nicholas Sommerlad, a journalist said to be related to the Queen of Sweden (whose maiden name is Sommerlath), in 2002 but they separated in 2003.

Related Topics:
John Reynolds - Record producer - 1994 - Journalist - Queen of Sweden

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In a magazine article and in a programme on RTÉ (Ryan Confidential, broadcast on RTÉ 1 on May 29, 2003), she outed herself as bisexual, stating that while most of her sexual relationships had been with men, she had had three relationships with women. She has three children, a son, Jake Reynolds, by her first husband, a daughter, Róisín Waters, by The Irish Times columnist John Waters, and a son, Shane.

Related Topics:
RTÉ - May 29 - 2003 - Bisexual - The Irish Times - John Waters

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She has claimed to have been physically, sexually and mentally abused by her mother, who was killed in a car accident when Sinéad was 17. Her claims have been disputed by other members of her family.

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In 2005 she performed at Madison Square Garden at the Jammy Awards and announced plans to release a reggae-influenced album, named Throw Down Your Arms, in October 2005. ABC Radio News, announcing her new album, reported that she has found solace in the Rastafarian faith, and that the religion "saved her life."

Related Topics:
Reggae - Rastafarian

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In a 2005 interview by the reggae artist Burning Spear in Andy Warhol's "Interview" magazine, she reported that her mission is to "rescue God from religion."

Related Topics:
Burning Spear - Andy Warhol

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