Music legend Boy George spoke about his ‘wonderful’ Irish grandmother joking that a wet flannel was her weapon of choice.
The Culture Club singer was a guest on Ireland AM ahead of his new show The Big Deal, on which he acts as a judge of hopeful performers.
George shot to fame in the 1980s as the lead singer for pop group Culture Club, with their most memorable song being Karma Chameleon.
He is now one of the judges on the new Virgin Media talent show and was happy to take time out to chat with presenter O’Connell.
The pair discussed the format of The Big Deal, and George’s experience of judging the hopefuls.
The conversation then turned to George’s upbringing. He was born in Kent and raised in London, England to an Irish mother and his father was also of Irish descent.
He explained that he jokingly referred to himself as a ‘Plastic Paddy’ and that his household had a strong Irish feel to it when he was growing up.
The Do You Really Want to Hurt Me? singer discovered more about his Irish family history when he appeared on BBC ancestry show Who Do You Think You Are?
He learned that one of his relatives was one of the ‘Forgotten Ten’ executed at Mountjoy Prison during the Irish War of Independence.
George explained that growing up he always had plenty of his Irish relatives close by.
He explained that his grandmother’s weapon of choice was a wet flannel, which she would slap across the face of the family kids whenever they gave her any cheek.
He also did an impression of his mother, much to the amusement of O’Connell.