VIEWERS of BBC One’s Who Do You Think You Are? revealed how they were moved to tears as Boy George traced his Irish roots on Wednesday night’s episode.
The flamboyant singer explained he was digging into his past to help his Dublin-born mother Dinah trace her family history.
The episode started with the heart-rending story of how his grandmother Bridget ended up St Vincent’s (Goldenbridge) Industrial School and the harsh conditions she experienced there over 10 years.
Delving into an era when many families were torn by political allegiances, the singer discovers his great-grandfather Richard Glynn fought for the British Army, while his great-uncle Thomas Bryan was a member of the Irish Republican Army.
George reads a moving letter Thomas penned from his prison cell to Richard, his wife's step-father, before visiting Mountjoy where Thomas was executed.
“How much more tragedy can you put into a story… [it’s] sadder than even I could have imagined,” says the singer following further revelations, as the investigation draws towards a poignant conclusion.
Viewers revealed how they too were moved by the emotional episode.
Full marks to Boy George for keeping it together during that #WhoDoYouThinkYouAre. Think I’d have been crying like a baby from the word go pic.twitter.com/5TcsdBP2Yd
— Alan Weston (@alanweston) 25 July 2018
#whodoyouthinkyouareFasinating tonight with Boy George. Lots of tears.
— Martina Sexton (@Swellan26) 25 July 2018
#whodoyouthinkyouare #boygeorge what a family history to discover. Cried buckets. Proud and sad. Well said.
— Sharon Cook (@SGussy) 25 July 2018
Watching #WDYTYA with Boy George and NO I’M NOT CRYING YOU ARE.
— Cath (@CathPoucher) 25 July 2018
Been watching #BoyGeorge on Who Do You Think You Are. Fascinating Irish heritage and such an amazing voice @BoyGeorge #WDYTYA @WDYTYA_UK pic.twitter.com/aS2Azpwg6A
— Vicki Michelle (@vickimichelle) 25 July 2018
Once again the personal family stories bring history alive. #BoyGeorge's story is one of the most poignant yet but the reality of many Dublin families at the turn of the 20thC. His grandmother forced into Goldenbridge age 6 on the day before Xmas Eve? So sad. So unforgivable.
— ann marie part (@PartAnnMarie) 25 July 2018
One of the best pieces of TV I've seen in a long time. Incredibly tragic & humane story of life in Dublin around 1919-1930 as #BoyGeorge traces his roots. Well done to all involved. Especially the Irish historians who played a blinder.... https://t.co/0UyTdSUWlA
— Donal Shiels (@DonalShielsIrl) 25 July 2018
That has to be the saddest #whodoyouthinkyouare I've ever watched, but also v interesting. No-one from Boy George's family got a run of luck. No one. Interesting that his family are so steeped in Irish revolutionary history, including a state funeral, which is a conferred honour.
— Fiona Kenny (@FionaKenny1) 25 July 2018
The episode is available to watch on BBC iPlayer for 30 days.
