Alison O'Reilly: The world tends not to treat people like Sinéad with great kindness

Sinéad O'Connor ripping up a photo of Pope John Paul II in 1992. 

“Can you ring me later?” said a soft voice that seemed to appear out of nowhere. I looked to my left and this tiny hand was holding out a piece of paper with a number scrawled on it in pen, with the name Sinéad written across it.

That was 2010 and it was the first time I ever met Sinéad O’Connor.