Irish in Toronto

Today, I’ll be chatting with Danielle Olivierre and Casey Egan, better known as Girlies in the 6ix. Two best friends from Dublin with two very different stories. Brought together as teenagers thanks to their shared love of Canadian Justin Bieber, it is only fitting that their stories have led them to Toronto where they have established Girlies in the 6ix, a community for ladies in Toronto to make friends, meet up and connect. The link for the Instagram page of Girlies in the 6ix is in the description of this episode. Danielle and Casey are doing a fantastic job of making it easier for women in Toronto to make friends, something that isn’t always as easy after moving to a big city. They are full of energy and barely let me get a word in during our chat! I’m sure you will enjoy how enthusiastic they are about their friendship for each other and about their roles in helping women make friends in Toronto. 

 Instagram link: https://www.instagram.com/girliesinthe6ix/ 

Today, I’ll be chatting with Gemma Healy-Murphy. Born and raised in Tralee, County Kerry, Gemma came to Toronto in 2011 with her then boyfriend, now husband, Barry. Gemma is a litigator at McMillan LLP. She sits on the board of I/CAN, the Irish Canadian Immigration Centre and she is a founder of the Canada Ireland Bar Association. Herself and Barry are also raising two young children here in Toronto. Clearly, she is a busy woman and someone I found very difficult to track down but was delighted that we finally did get to sit down and have a chat. She even brought a few Irish treats for us to enjoy and I thank her for that.

Today, I’ll be chatting with Erin and Paul Loughnane. They are both driving forces of the St. Mike’s club here in the city, playing a massive role in playing and coaching over the past 20 to 30 years. Erin and Paul were both born in Canada but have become immersed in the GAA scene here in Toronto. In this chat, we talk about their different relationships with Ireland, their journeys to becoming prominent football and camogie players in Toronto and the importance of developing home grown talent in Toronto. Stay listening till the end of the conversation where Paul tells us where he got the nickname ‘Horse’ and he discusses his time playing football in Cork where he played wing back on a Castlehaven team which won the Cork Senior Football Championship in 2003. Not many Canadians can say that! 

Today, I’ll be chatting with Hugo Straney. Hugo is the voice of the Irish community here in Canada and has been since he began hosting his own show on CHIN Radio back in 1988.I would say that Hugo is the most ubiquitous Irish person in Toronto. He shows up everywhere, from commentating on the St. Patrick’s Day Parade and the GAA finals to hosting the Toronto Rose of Tralee and his own radio show every Sunday morning at 10am, he has done it all. An energetic and engaging person, Hugo has been providing a link to home for the many of the Irish community here in Canada for over thirty years. On a personal level, the fascinating conversations he has on his radio show inspired me to initially put together this podcast so I would like to thank him for that. His journey from Belfast to Toronto as a teenager in the 1970s is a fascinating one and I know you’ll enjoy it.

Today, I’ll be chatting with Cathy Murphy. Cathy is the Executive Director at I/CAN, the Irish Canadian Immigration Centre. Cathy is one of the most prominent and visible people in the Irish community here in Toronto. In this chat, we discuss her role as the inaugural Executive Director of I/CAN and how she has helped thousands of Irish emigrants each year since the establishment of the Immigration Centre in 2011. What she does for the Irish in Canada is invaluable. 

Today, I’ll be chatting with Michael Barry. Born and raised in North Belfast, Michael has been in Toronto for over three decades. Michael is the co-founder of the Toronto Irish Film Festival, an event which takes place at the beginning of March each year and has become consolidated in the film festival calendar in a city which is famous for its film festivals. He now manages the successful website, irishfilmtv.com which is an unbelievable resource for Irish film and tv news. Michael discusses these endeavors in our chat and he also explains why he left Belfast for Toronto and how being Irish has shaped his life here in Canada.

There are a number of acronyms we use throughout our chat and I’ll share them with you now in case you are not familiar with them. 

TIFF stands for Toronto International Film Festival, the world-famous festival which takes place in Toronto in September each year. 

TIRFF stands for Toronto Irish Film Festival which was co-founded by our guest today, Michael Barry. 

Today, I’ll be chatting with Gréagóir Ó Dáire. Born and raised in Mississauga, Ontario with Irish and Scottish ancestry, Greg enrolled in the Celtic Studies Programme at the University of St. Michael’s College in 2009 and this has had a profound impact on his life. Following a PhD at Harvard, Greg now works as a Senior Lecturer in Irish Studies at Uppsala University in Sweden. I was lucky to catch Greg on one of his trips home last summer and he was willing to come to my office where we chatted about his journey with the Irish language and how his Irish identity has shaped his life. 

Greg and I have only ever communicated in Irish and consequently this episode will be in Irish. Greg is a wonderful example of how intrinsic motivation can contribute to anyone learning a language to a massively high level of proficiency regardless of geographical isolation 

Bainigí taitneamh as an gcomhrá. 

Today, I’ll be chatting with Paul Farrelly. Born and raised in Meath, Paul has been in Toronto since 1972. Paul is a frequent visitor to my office at the University of St. Michael’s College and we were having so many great chats about his life here in Toronto that it only made sense to record at least one of our conversations. 

Paul talks about how the Irish arts scene in Toronto made it feel easy for him to settle in Canada. In particular, he has worked with the Irish Arts Council and the Toronto Irish Players. 

For almost ten years, Paul served as the Executive Director for the Ireland Fund of Canada and he provides an interesting insight into his work here as well.

Today, I’ll be chatting with Caroline Schweppe. Born and raised in Dublin, Caroline came to Toronto in 1989 and hasn’t looked back since. I met Caroline at a civic reception on St. Patrick’s Day this year and knew instantly that I had to get her on the podcast as she has a remarkable story to tell. She’s a unique person within the Irish community here in Toronto and I think you will all enjoy this conversation. 

Caroline speaks openly about the freedom she associates with her life here in Canada and about how to navigate one’s life as an emigrant during different points of transition. 

Caroline arrived at my office door a half an hour early for our chat, while I was in the middle of eating my lunch no less. Usually, I don’t like to be interrupted when I’m eating but a conversation with Caroline is always well worth it. We spoke for an hour and a half before I pressed ‘record’ so we sometimes refer back to parts of our off-air chat but I’m sure you’ll be able to follow. 

Today, I’ll be chatting with Steo Murphy. Born and raised in Ennis in Co. Clare, Steo moved to Toronto in 2017 and now works in the city as a barber. We actually recorded this chat from his apartment five minutes after he had given me a chop. 

In this chat, we talk about why Steo came to Toronto, why he stayed, and the struggles he had with securing permanent residency which included being stuck in Canada unable to travel for three years. We also discuss some of the elements of Toronto which Steo loves; playing soccer, professional wrestling, festivals, raves, an eccentric sense of fashion and tattoos.