[citation needed] An Irish immigrant, Shawn moves to Salem from his native Galway at an undetermined time.

In the early stages of the "Brady-DiMera Feud Resolution" storyline in the early-2000s, it is revealed that Shawn has maintained sporadic contact with family and friends in Ireland throughout the years.

There are strong hints that Shawn may have had some underworld dealings of his own in his youth, and was possibly involved directly in some of the early battles of the feud with the DiMera family, but this is later dropped.

Over the years the pub has functioned as a second home for some of their grandchildren and great-grandchildren, and their first great-grandson, Will, spent a great deal of time there while he was growing up.

Shawn is devastated when he learns that his brother Eric molested his daughter Kimberly when she was a child, which results in her later developing multiple personality disorder.

Colleen is presumed to have died in a horrible manner at a young age, falling or jumping from a cliff in Galway.

Grandpa Shawn dies after giving up his oxygen mask to save his son, Bo, on a sabotaged airplane that is going down.