Early Life
Geldof was born and raised in Dún Laoghaire, Ireland, the son of Evelyn and Robert (known as Rob) Geldof, and attended Blackrock College. His paternal grandfather was a Belgian immigrant, Zenon (sometimes mistakenly spelt Lenon) Geldof (1882-1939), who was a hotel chef, and his paternal grandmother, Amelia "Minnie" Falk, was a Jewish English woman (born 1873 in London). Zenon Geldof and Amelia Falk were married in 1906 in Westminster and had four children: Herbert (Sonny), Robert, Cleo Zenobie Geldof (born 1906 in Grantham), and May Geldof (born 1909 in Dublin).
At the age of 41, Geldof's mother complained of a headache and died shortly thereafter, having suffered a haemorrhage. Geldof attended Blackrock College in Dublin, whose Catholic ethos he disliked. He was bullied for his lack of rugby prowess and over his third forename, Zenon. After work as a slaughter man, road navvy and pea canner in Wisbech, he started as a music journalist in Vancouver, Canada, for the weekly publication Georgia Straight.
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