'Nobody wants to leave their family — but emergencies don’t stop because it’s Christmas'
Just as Santa and his reindeer are coming to the end of their shift and exhausted parents are woken at the crack of dawn by gleeful children, Jack Connolly and his colleagues will be in their ambulances and setting out on their first emergency call of the day.The 29-year-old has been a paramedic for almost three years and this Christmas, while the rest of us rip open presents, meet our loved ones and generally overindulge, he will be one of the thousands of workers who keep Ireland ticking over on Christmas Day.“I have worked Christmas Days before,” he says.“Last year, I worked Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. We were supposed to finish at 7am but we got a late call just before the shift ended, so I didn’t get through the door home until about 11am. Nobody wants to leave their family on Christmas Day.
I have two little nephews who I’d love to spend the day opening presents with but when you think about it, emergencies don’t stop because it’s Christmas. It is tough, I’ll be honest with you, but it’s very rewarding.
Jack is based in Cork University Hospital, Bantry and this year, on the 25th, he’ll be working the morning shift. That means getting up early at 5.30am to make it from his home in Skibbereen in time for the special pre-shift Christmas breakfast at the base. From there, it’s a 12-hour stretch from 7am to 7pm, if he’s lucky.“I won’t be home until the evening then but we could get a late night if a call comes in just before the shift ends,” he explains.“There’ll be six of us working over Christmas, plus the night crew, and they’re all missing Christmas as well, so we will try and make it as fun as possible. We’ll all have a bit of something with us that we can share. Someone will have a box of Roses on board or there’ll be turkey sandwiches or mince pies.”Jack Connolly: 'Last year, I worked Christmas Eve into Christmas Day. We were supposed to finish at 7am but we got a late call just before the shift ended, so I didn’t get through the door home until about 11am.'Though Jack will, of course, be a little sad to miss out on most of the day, he says he wouldn’t change a thing about his work.“I’m chuffed with it,” he says. “I’ve never even quizzed it. Some days are chaotic. Every job has its good days and bad days. But the trust is amazing. I walk into a house with a sick child and the mother places her trust in me, so it’s very rewarding in that respect. And if you can go home knowing you did your absolute best, you’ll be fine.”Christmas FM As well as having the aforementioned box of Roses on board, Jack will no doubt have the Yuletide sounds of Christmas FM to keep him company and give him a sense of festive cheer as he makes his way around West Cork.“The 24th and 25th are our two busiest days with Christmas Eve having the biggest listenership," says Daragh O’Sullivan, co-founder and director of Christmas FM.
We stream to every country in the world and we could have anything up to 20,000 people listening in online at any given time. We have a live global map and it’s amazing to see people listening all over the world, including Lapland. There’s something special about seeing that on Christmas Day.
On air since 2008, Christmas FM started out as a project by four friends who were all involved in what Daragh describes as “pre-legal radio” (we reckon 'pirate' sounds better).“I guess there wasn’t much opportunity to be in radio except for the 30-day licence,” recalls the Dubliner, “and we thought Christmas being what it is and the success of other Christmas radio stations in other countries, it would be the perfect fit and it would be fun way of doing a charity campaign.”Since its first broadcast, the station has raised over €4million for various charities across Ireland. 2025 is the fourth year of its Magic of Christmas Appeal, which focuses on raising funds for various children’s charities, including Make a Wish, Barretstown and Barnardos.While the presenters’ Christmas Day and availability are mapped out in accordance with their current parental status, the station founders take turns working the big day.“It’s very important to firstly, make sure we stay on air and then keep all the comms moving on social media,” says Daragh.“There are so many moving parts to a radio station now and we have the donation platform running as well, so there’s a constant stream of queries. "My job on Christmas Day is making sure all of that keeps going and stays running. The technology side of it needs to be taken care of, too. So it’s just trying to keep all of those plates spinning when our resources are very stretched.”Daragh O'Sullivan: 'The 24th and 25th are our two busiest days with Christmas Eve having the biggest listenership.' Photo: Gareth ChaneyDespite having a 10-year-old at home, Daragh will be at the station’s headquarters at the Clayton Hotel in Liffey Valley by 8am.“Our household is early on Christmas Day and by 7.30, we will have opened presents and had breakfast,” he says. “But the radio is on in our house all morning and we can say hello via Christmas FM. That’s the station in a nutshell. "We’re bringing people together and it feels like you’re a part of a community. I’ll get back at 6.30 that evening but there’s still a bit of remote work, just keeping an eye on the streams and servers. Christmas night will be for relaxing though.”Childline Just as Daragh settles in for the evening, Joseph Keane will be taking his first call at Childline’s Cork office. While Christmas is of course all about spreading a message of joy and hope, there will be some for who Christmas Day is very difficult.“I joined because I wanted to provide a space for kids where someone would listen to them,” says the 29-year-old. “I was very grateful that I had people who would listen to me when I was a child and looking back, I’ve seen how much of a difference that has made in my life.” Joseph, who comes from Clonmel in Tipperary, has lived in Cork City for six years and by day works as a tech support for a HR and payroll software company. He has been volunteering with Childline for two years and last year he worked on Christmas Day.Joseph Keane, volunteering with ISPCC Childline on Christmas Day. He has been volunteering with Childline for two years and last year he worked on Christmas Day. Picture; Eddie O'Hare“I might be doing this Christmas,” he says. “I haven’t talked to anyone about the roster yet, so we will see. The shifts are slightly shorter than usual; they’re usually just two hours but I ended up doing four hours last year. "There are usually four of us on shift. The call volume was maybe slightly lower than a normal day, but it’s a real eye-opener when someone does call on Christmas Day. I think the impact is amplified. It’s hard to picture these kids with nobody to talk to.”Last year, Joseph was invited to an early Christmas dinner with a rugby-playing pal of his in Cork before heading into Childline to work. The following day, he made the journey to Clonmel to spend some time with his family.“I was lucky, I got two dinners,” he says.This year, he says he has to 'see how it pans out'. Rostered or not, he is happy to make himself available.“I don’t want to say that you look forward to it,” he explains, “but there is a real sense of camaraderie about it and you’re happy to be there for the children who call. There’s a nice atmosphere in the office and you know you’re going in to do something good and you’re in it together.”
You can talk to Childline for free by calling 1800 66 66 66, or chat to someone online at childline.ie 24 hours a day, every day.
You can listen to Christmas FM through various frequencies across Ireland or listen and donate online at christmasfm.com
