Ciaran Shannon – A Great Friend, A Great Father and a Great Loss
by Mark O’Brien (Reproduced with kind permission from Irish Connections Magazine)
It is the story of two contrasting phone calls from Ireland, ironically from the same person. The first was in 2001 when my good friend Gerry Mullane from Limerick called to give me the “heads up”. A county footballer from Wicklow is looking to make some connections in Toronto. It wasn’t the first time we had played our part in the talent supply chain for the Toronto Gaels but this one ended up being very special to me. I was fortunate at that time that my sister was living in Blessington, Co. Wicklow and married to a local GAA aficionado. He confirmed the lad’s talent on the field – Ciaran had played senior county football for both Wicklow and Sligo at different stages in the 1990’s and had more than held his own against many of the contemporary greats of that decade - but moreover he also informed me that he was a very well liked chap in GAA circles. How right he was on both fronts. I met Ciaran Shannon, his wife Avril and their then infant daughter Ciara two days after their arrival in Toronto in 2001 and little was I to know that they would become lifelong friends of my family.
Ciaran’s first priority on arrival was to ensure he provided for his family and although he had been very successful working in the insurance business in Ireland, he decided it would be best to be earning money while he engaged in a job search which would get him back in his comfort zone. I introduced Ciaran to Ray Kerr and the extensive construction network he represents here in Toronto and following a stint working for Ray, and James Devane, they too became very close friends of Ciaran and Avril.
Not long thereafter, Ciaran joined Marsh Canada, the country’s largest commercial insurance broker, where he became their top performing sales representative. He left Marsh to follow his friend and mentor Steve Mallory in building the Canadian division of Hub International, initially assuming the role of sales manager. In that role he inspired over 300 people on business tactics, sales, and business development, and in few short years, had been promoted to President - testament to his natural leadership qualities.
Prior to having left Ireland, Ciaran and Avril had secured themselves a piece of land two miles outside of the village of Annacurra, Ciaran’s hometown. In 2005 while still here in Toronto, they broke ground on their dream home and from there the countdown started as they finally planned to return to Ireland. During their time here, Avril gave birth to Jade and Laci-Jane and so they left Toronto in 2006 as a family of 5 leaving behind them a large number of new friends sad to see them leave but happy nevertheless that they were fulfilling their dream.
On Saturday, June 27th 2009, the second phone call. Gerry called me again this time to inform me that Ciaran had been killed in a tragic car accident in Wicklow. Avril and the three girls were also in the vehicle but mercifully escaped with minor injuries - Avril is 20 weeks pregnant with their fourth child.
I last spoke to Ciaran three days prior to the accident and he was enjoying life to the fullest. He was back playing football for his beloved Annacurra, his career success was continuing with Arachas, and he had put the final touches on his dream home as he & Avril prepared for their new arrival.
The community of friends here in Toronto is shocked and saddened by this tragic loss. At 37, Ciaran has been taken from us prematurely. As his wife Avril explained to me, such was the horrific nature of the crash, we could have been mourning something considerably worse. It is typical of the man that he bore the impact of any harm that threatened his family, much like he did over the years for his teammates on football fields. It is very difficult to find any consolation in the loss of such a great friend, other than perhaps the sheer honour, privilege and joy of having got to know such a fine man as Ciaran Shannon, and looking forward to the future to being there for his beloved Avril and their children; letting each of them know in due course what a truly exceptional person their father was.
Ar dheis De go raibh a anam dhilis.
