Felony charge in Irish traditional music disturbance in Chicago

Posted on Tuesday, April 27, 2010 at 11:07 AM

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Details are only emerging from Kane County in the Chicago area about an incident over the weekend that ended in an arrest, felony charges and presumably an angry Grammy-nominated fiddle player. Host of WFUV's A Thousand Welcomes, Kathleen Biggins, provides a report from the Daily Herald, and some additional information about what happened.

McNally's Irish Pub on Main St. in St. Charles was hosting Liz Carroll and Jim DeWan for a seisiún on Sunday night. Good pubs have hosted traditional artists for centuries, and in the States, it's becoming more and more necessary for Irish-styled pubs to show credentials by hosting traditional sessions by real traditional players, because the pub is to traditional Irish music what the speakeasy to jazz. As for Carroll, she recently performed for President Obama at a reception in the White House; she has innumerable awards, including this year's Grammy nomination to amplify the chorus of her legion fans who love and respect her music. An out-of-place mouth at the bar was not so much a fan, however, and wanted to play the stereo, hating, as she made clear, the warmly authentic Irish feeling at McNally's.

So she sounded a false fire alarm, killed the music session, and ran out of the establishment, down the road, before being caught by police, identified by McNally patrons, handcuffed, and charged with a Class 4 Felony for wasting fire response services. Her name is Shona A. Lukes--"sona" or "shona" is the Irish word for "happy" incidentally--she's 25, and should find another hobby besides drinking. Music is good for a disturbed soul, and can transport one away from troubles, even if brought needlessly on one's self.

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Shona | Jul 17, 2012, 06:38 PM EDT

Hello. It's been 2 years since this incident and I couldn't regret it more. This was the worst thing in my life, but I came out a better person. I had NEVER been arrested, much less given traffic tickets. I entered the 2nd Chance Program, paid my dues & the charge was dismissed. To everyone at McNally's, my deepest heartfelt apologies, and to the fiddler, I am very very sorry for interrupting your show. I am Irish, I love Irish music, and I didn't pull the alarm intentionally (especially due to the music), it was an accident. Yes, I was extremely drunk, but I paid my dues. I know it's been 2 years and many people have forgotten about this incident, but I haven't and it lives with me every day. Please accept my apologies.

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Oceans43 | May 03, 2010, 01:23 AM EDT

Not only is Shona Lukes an alcoholic, she's addicted to cocaine, and is a stripper as well.. needless to say, this girl has major issues. I think it would have been best for the judge to make her attend AA meetings or even enter a drug rehab program. She is on the road to a 6 foot deep spot to call her forever home.

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DennisQ | Apr 30, 2010, 10:23 PM EDT

Shona might give some thought about her drinking. Being locked up for a felony isn't typical party behavior.

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AnPiobaire | Apr 27, 2010, 01:59 PM EDT

I think someone's spinning someone here for PR purposes; either the pub or the girl. McNally's seems like a nice place, though, so I hope they benefit from the publicity, and I hope the poor girl gets help.

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