Irish in Toronto

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Gearóid Ó Treasaigh. Gearóid is the Irish Language Instructor at St. Thomas University in Fredericton, New Brunswick. He is in the middle of his second year of his ICUF scholarship. ICUF, being the Ireland Canada University Foundation. 

This is the Irish language portion of our episode. You will find the English language episode on the same feed as it was released at the same time. 

Tá súil agam go mbainfidh sibh sult as an gcomhrá a bhí agam le Gearóid. Is sár-duine é agus táim chomh buíoch gur labhair sé liom ar an bpodchraoladh inniu. Cloisfidh sibh faoin bpróiséas ICUF agus conas atá ag éirí le Gearóid in Fredericton le dhá bhliain anuas

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Shane O’Neill. I came to know Shane last year when I finally answered one of his many phone calls and he told me that I would be raising the Irish flag at Toronto City Hall on St. Patrick’s Day. Shane is the Chairperson of the Irish Person of the Year Committee and has done tremendous work for the Irish community over the years. Coming to Toronto in 1998 after having spent ten years in London Shane’s relationship with Ireland has evolved throughout the years and he regales us of this during our chat. His passion for Ireland, family and of course, rugby, is undeniable. I really hope you enjoy this chat with Borrisoleigh native, Shane O’Neill. 

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Conor Mangan. Conor is a current professional American Football player based out of Toronto, as well as an accomplished Real Estate Agent.  A proud Cork man, he moved to Canada in 2013, playing professional rugby before transitioning to football. Conor earned several Special Teams and point scoring records in the last two years in the Indoor Football League (IFL), and has multiple president club awards for real estate in Ontario.

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Cathal O’Neill. Cathal is the Irish Language Instructor at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He is in the middle of his second stint as the ICUF scholar in St. John’s. ICUF, being the Ireland Canada University Foundation. 

This is the English-language portion of our episode. The Irish-language version is located on the same feed. 

In this episode, Cathal speaks about what it was like to move to Newfoundland last year and how he has settled in. He speaks about his Irish classes, the social life in St. John’s and the traveling opportunities presented during a year with ICUF. At the end of our chat, Cathal provides some tips on how best to approach the application for ICUF, for anyone thinking of teaching Irish in Canada for a year or two.

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Cathal O’Neill. Cathal is the Irish Language Instructor at Memorial University in St. John’s, Newfoundland. He is in the middle of his second stint as the ICUF scholar in St. John’s. ICUF, being the Ireland Canada University Foundation. 

This is the Irish language portion of our episode. You will find the English language episode on the same feed as it was released at the same time. 

Tá súil agam go mbainfidh sibh sult as an gcomhrá a bhí agam le Cathal. Is sár-fhear é agus táim chomh buíoch gur labhair sé liom ar an bpodchraoladh inniu. Cloisfidh sibh cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an Ghaeilge i saol Chathail agus tá sár-jab déanta aige ó tháinig sé go Ceanada agus go Talamh an Éisc, ach go háirithe. 

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Gemma Ní Luain. Gemma is the Irish Language Instructor at the Concordia University in Montréal, Québec. She is in the middle of her second stint as the ICUF scholar in Montréal. ICUF, being the Ireland Canada University Foundation. 

- what it was like to move to Montréal in 2019
-extreme weather Montréal receives 
- issue of language with French being the official language in Québec
-staying in Canada as a permanent resident 

I would still encourage people to download the episodes and to share them with friends and family. Downloads are the easiest indicator for me to gauge how many people I am reaching with these conversations so I would really appreciate it.

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Gemma Ní Luain. Gemma is the Irish Language Instructor at Concordia University in Montréal, Québec. She is in the middle of her second stint as the ICUF scholar in Montréal. ICUF, being the Ireland Canada University Foundation. 

This is the Irish language portion of our episode. You will find the English language episode on the same feed as it was released at the same time. 

Tá súil agam go mbainfidh sibh sult as an gcomhrá a bhí agam le Gemma. Is sár-bhean í agus táim chomh buíoch gur labhair sí liom ar an bpodchraoladh inniu. Cloisfidh sibh cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an Ghaeilge i saol Gemma agus tá sár-jab déanta aici ó tháinig sí go Ceanada. 

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Katie Kirkpatrick. Katie is from Saskatchewan but began taking beginner’s Irish with me two years ago here at the University of St. Michael’s College. Since then, she has gone on to win an ICUF Canadian Irish Language Award which enabled her to complete a four-week immersion course in Conamara in the summer of 2023. 

In this episode, Katie speaks about her motivation for learning Irish. Her course of study at the University of Toronto requires her to be able to sing in four different languages and she chose Irish as one of those. In this chat, Katie speaks about her experiences learning Irish in Toronto and in Conamara, how singing in Irish has enhanced her studies and of her love for the art of sean-nós singing. In the final few minutes, Katie flips the script and asks me questions about my experiences teaching Irish and Gaelic games here in Toronto. 

I would still encourage people to download the episodes and to share them with friends and family. Downloads are the easiest indicator for me to gauge how many people I am reaching with these conversations so I would really appreciate it.

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Clíodhna Ní Chorráin. Clíodhna is the Irish Language Instructor at the University of Ottawa. She is in the middle of her second year of her ICUF scholarship. ICUF, being the Ireland Canada University Foundation. 

This is the Irish language portion of our episode. You will find the English language episode on the same feed as it was released at the same time. 

Tá súil agam go mbainfidh sibh sult as an gcomhrá a bhí agam le Clíodhna. Is sár-bhean í agus táim chomh buíoch gur labhair sí liom ar an bpodchraoladh inniu. Cloisfidh sibh cé chomh tábhachtach is atá an Ghaeilge i saol Chlíodhna agus tá sár-jab déanta aici ó tháinig sí go Ceanada. 

Today,  I’ll be chatting with Clíodhna Ní Chorráin. Clíodhna is the Irish Language Instructor at the University of Ottawa. She is in the middle of her second year of her ICUF scholarship. ICUF, being the Ireland Canada University Foundation. 

In this episode, Clíodhna talks about her experiences teaching Irish abroad, both in the US and in Canada. She is very honest when she speaks about initially wanting to go to Toronto but making it work in Ottawa and ultimately having a fantastic experience in the nation’s capital city. We discuss Clíodhna’s ambitions for the future which may involve settling in Ireland but not before a stop somewhere else along the way. 

Clíodhna and myself had never spoken in English before this conversation but I felt it necessary for the majority of the listenership of this podcast. We did record a supplementary conversation in Irish which was released at the same time as this episode so you should find it in your feed. 

I would still encourage people to download the episodes and to share them with friends and family. Downloads are the easiest indicator for me to gauge how many people I am reaching with these conversations so I would really appreciate it.