Irish in Toronto

Today, we welcome back Ian Kinsella to the podcast. Ian is the first person to appear on the podcast for a second time and his story definitely justifies this distinction. In 2023, only a few months after Ian appeared on ‘Irish in Toronto’ and at the age of 41, he suffered a widowmaker heart attack. Following his heart attack in 2023, Ian underwent life-altering surgery. In November 2024, he set a Guinness world record for the fastest marathon with a coronary artery bypass graft, running the New York City marathon in 3 hours and 42 seconds. Ian is clearly grateful for running post-surgery but it was poignant to listen back to our conversation from three years ago and hear how much he appreciated the sport before he ever had any heart issues. Ian is upfront and honest in this conversation. His recovery is a winding process and he pulls no punches in going into the details here. Trigger warning, there will be mentions of suicidal ideation and substance abuse. I consider Ian a good friend and a role model for being honest with oneself. 

Today, I will be speaking with Seána Glennon. Seána loves Toronto so much, she didn’t move here just once, but twice. Seána and her husband, Jonny first began calling Toronto their home in 2018 before heading back to Dublin to allow Seána complete her PhD. They arrived back to Toronto in 2021 and have been putting down routes here ever since. They are both fantastic volunteers and can be seen at any Irish related event around the city. In this chat, we discuss the meaning of ‘home’ and Seána has a lovely understanding of a concept which can be quite confusing for a lot of emigrants. We also discuss living in the East End of Toronto as well as Seána’s fear of driving in the city. We finish the chat discussing parenting in a different country. Seána and Johnny are raising two boys in Toronto, Naoise and Óisín. I admire Seána’s honesty and positive outlook throughout this chat. 

Today, I will be speaking with Rory O’Shea. I first became aware of him when I attended a  screening of the long-form biopic he created for his mother, The Peggy Delaney Way. Peggy was clearly a force to be reckoned with in the Irish community in Toronto and the love she had for her home country was passed down to her son, Rory. In this conversation, we discuss Rory’s understanding of being born to Irish parents while growing up in Toronto and how he often feels more Irish than Canadian. We discuss his desires to retire in Ireland and we delve into deeper thoughts towards the end of our chat, focusing on Rory’s awareness of his mortality as well as his religious practices. Rory is extremely open in this conversation and I want to thank him for that. 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 will be speaking with Michael Boyle. Originally from Derry, Michael left the North of Ireland in the late 1960s, just as the Troubles were beginning to kick off. Bound for a teaching job in Fogo Island, his arrival in Canada did not go as smoothly as expected. But as Michael often says, ‘If you come to a fork in the road, take it.’ Michael took this fork and has ended up spending the rest of his life in Newfoundland. In this chat, we discuss how Newfoundland became his home away from Derry. We also discuss his relationship with Ireland and the Irish language. It was through speaking Irish on Monday nights in St. John’s a number of years ago where I first ran into Michael. Michael released his memoir recently, On New Turf and I would encourage anyone to pick up a copy and experience the life of an Irish immigrant to Newfoundland. I have included a link below: https://www.amazon.ca/New-Turf-Memoir-Michael-Boyle/dp/1989109411 

Originally from Malahide in North County Dublin, Donal has been living in Toronto for the past eighteen years, after having spent four years outside of Ireland before then. This is a fascinating and intriguing conversation with a person who has got me thinking about a lot of things since our chat. We are both well able to talk and as a result, this episode is slightly longer than most but well worth a listen. We discuss everything from arriving in Toronto with a six-month-old baby to sports gambling and its prevalence in recent years in Canada. Donal is a captivating character but he is also an extremely honest one. He takes time to discuss his reasons for giving up alcohol in his mid-twenties and pulls no punches regarding his relationship with both Canada and Ireland throughout his life.