[citation needed] Sharkey says his relationship with his adoptive parents was sometimes abusive, eventually resulting in him being put into foster care when aged 12.

He was sent to live at St Joseph's Industrial School in Salthill in Galway, where he witnessed sexual abuse against young pupils by Christian Brothers staff, and left at the age of 16.

[9] Sharkey regularly collaborated with Irish rock band, The Boomtown Rats, and German disco group Boney M., writing lyrics and melodies for both.

His most famous line came after a nun, seeing his dark complexion, asked him what he thought of all the work being done in Africa by priests; he replied in his thick Irish accent, "Sure I wouldn't know, I'm from Donegal.

He has had gallery shows solely dedicated to his work in Dublin, Donegal, Mayo, Boyle, Ibiza and London's Mayfair.

[8] His work has included, Samantha Mumba's bust and 'Moolah' (a life sized cow covered in €18,000 of real banknotes – during the height of Ireland's Celtic Tiger phenomenon).

[18] His Public Enemy Number One exhibition was on a twelve date tour of the world (including New York, Tokyo, Rome and Rio de Janeiro).

[19] The public figures featured in the exhibition included Jordan as Myra Hindley, Barack Obama wearing Ku Klux Klan robes (made from U.S. flags), the Pope marrying a gay couple, and Angelina Jolie & Madonna passing each other in a supermarket aisle pushing trolleys full of multi-racial children.

[24] In October, he was ordered by a Circuit Civil Court to pay €5,000 in damages and legal fees of another €10,000 over highly defamatory Twitter comments.

He cited personal reasons for this, decrying the fact that if he were to marry his long-term male partner Ade Antigha in Spain, where the two were living at the time, the marriage would not be recognised by Irish law.

[4] In March 2017, Sharkey denounced the Catholic Church's role in the Tuam foster home scandal, invoking his own negative experience of the Irish foster care system at the time, mentioning sexual abuse and the existence of unmarked graves of young boarders who had died at his school in Salthill, Galway.

[28] In the same month, Sharkey announced his opposition to current Irish immigration policy and the contentious atmosphere surrounding debate of the issue, declaring he intended to enter politics in order to open up dialogue.