My name is sorrow

Now this is a hell of a thing. I was minding my own business yesterday when the need came up to research the meaning of certain Irish surnames. I wanted a name that might mean something like “the last of the line” or “alone” but wasn’t able to find one in the various lists out there. I settled on Magee because it can be loosely seen as a stand-in for omega, as in “last in a series.” Magee, in Irish Gaelic, happens to mean “fire.” That’s interesting too, for my purposes.

Scanning the list, I learned that the surname O’Farrell — my protagonist in Town Father — means “man of valor.” Henry certainly is that.

But the name that utterly cold-cocked me (like the Donald Trump supporter who punched an old lady with an oxygen tank yesterday — hashtag #Deplorable!), turned out to be my own. Brennan. Ó Braonáin.     

It means “sorrow.”

Now I am depressed.

Do you see now? Do you understand why I have to write songs like “Mystery Cake” to make myself feel better?