Boy George applied for an Irish passport to honour to his late mother.
Boy George now uses an Irish passport
The Culture Club singer – real name George O’Dowd – was born and raised in London and always had a British passport, but he decided to make a change and honour his family’s Irish history after his mom Dinah died in 2023.
He told The Telegraph newspaper: “I lost my connection to Ireland when my mum died. She was the connection to all my family in Ireland, and we lost that. I thought she would love the fact that I had an Irish passport.”
Boy George, 64, also revealed he used the new document for the first time recently when he flew to Dublin for a series of promotional events alongside hat designer Philip Treacy.
He added: “I used it for the first time today – it’s quite exciting.”
It comes after Boy George recently opened up about living in London revealing he’s rarely recognised when he’s not wearing his signature make-up and often takes public transport or cycles around the city.
During an appearance on Fearne Cotton’s Happy Place podcast, he explained: “I used to joke about wanting fame with an ‘off button’ …
“Obviously when I take my make-up off I can do anything. I go anywhere. I have this insane freedom. I go on the bus, I go on the Tube, I go get on the bikes … “I’m out in the world because I think as a writer, I have to be out there. Even if nothing happens. Even if it’s just raining or whatever, I enjoy being in the world and watching like mad girls on the Tube doing their lips …
“Just enjoying being me and being in London. So I’ve learned to switch it off.”
George went on to admit he now has a healthy relationship with fame and has “finally” learned how to enjoy it.
He explained: “I love it [fame]. Finally I love being me. I love being me … I prefer to meet people when I’m dressed up because I want to give them what they want but people are lovely to me when I’m not dressed up. It’s not important.
“Plus there’s a beautiful freedom to just being able to walk around London. And people come up to me and go: ‘Are you George?’ And I go: ‘Yeah’. “I think a lot when I’m sitting at a bus stop in the rain: ‘Elton John can’t do this’. I don’t mean that in a scathing way ‘cos I love him but I just couldn’t live in a bubble. Whether it’s a fame bubble or a gay bubble.”
