A GOOD OLD FASHIONED IRI$H CHRISTMAS

Wicklow - Christmas Eve - 1995. I took my twin girls to visit Santa at the mall in Dun Laoghaire (pronounced Done Leary). I asked a man named John (pronounced John) where Santa was and he pointed me in the general direction.

I began to look for a sign advertising "Santa's Village" and almost walked straight past the flashing blue neon lights inviting people into "Santa's Grotto."

The Grotto Clause

NAME INTERRUPTED

For a very short time, I sat and delivered on radio, (CKLU in Sudbury, ON).  I concluded each segment with: "For Sit and Deliver this is Shannon O'Toole." But I dropped the O'Toole, when I dropped the tool. 

Then I considered breaking into the select group of people known only by their first name, in order to close my segments.



People like Cher, Madonna, and Yanni (not a real link, I wouldn't do that to you), came to mind immediately. 

But I thought this could potentially be a problem if I were to ever make it big in Ireland.  An Irishman once asked me how it felt to be named after an airport.  I told him I was handling it much better than my half brother Heathrow O'Hare since he never seemed to know if he was coming or going. Then I thanked Mr. Ass O'Hole for his concern.

Next I considered using initials to complement my first name.  I could borrow the first initial of my ex-husband's last name to become Shannon O.  But that had a familiar ring to it.  Of course!  It had already been done by Jackie. O Jackie! You had everything.  Did you really have to buy a vowel?

Then, I tried to put the O before my name and sign off as O Shannon.  But this too had been done.  First by the writer O Henry, followed by the chocolate bar. (I just figured out why I crave chocolate whenever I read The Gift of the Magi).

I needed a fresh approach to using initials - to go where no one had gone before.  I placed an O in front of my name and an O after my name and signed off as O Shannon O.  But this seemed to have a hypnotic effect on my producer who played my sign-off on a continuous loop until the playback board burst into flames.

Just when I was about to give up on the whole idea it occurred to me to use the last initial of my maiden name, O'Connor.  I would sign off as Shannon O...but this had a familiar ring...

So, I quit radio.



Recommended Listening: MacArthur Park by Richard Harris - (the switchboard really lit up when I played this song during my on-air segment - unfortunately all the callers were demanding it be removed from the airways immediately).

Recommended Reading: The Gift of the Magi by O. Henry

Recommend Viewing: Pirate Radio