Cormac came to Canada from Clonsilla, Dublin in 2010 (one of the few times it wasn’t fun to be in Dublin) and has settled into a Canadian banking career over the last 15 years. Cormac is currently an Executive Vice President and Partner at Stonebridge Financial, a Toronto based asset manager. Since coming to Canada, he has been a player and treasurer with St. Pats GAA and recently chaired the Ireland Funds St. Patrick’s Day luncheon coming out of COVID. He’s also been known to pull a pint for a I/CAN and support various Irish ex-pat community initiatives across the city. Cormac is a long-time resident of the east end with his wife and Toronto Irish Players secretary, Sue Murphy. When he’s not pushing pennies, Cormac enjoys some downtime skiing, golfing, hiking (with Pixie the cockapoo) or preparing for the next Hyrox race.

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 Declan O’Sullivan. You might know him better as ‘Paddyman’. Declan is a professional entertainer and songwriter who has performed live for over 1 million people all around the world. Originally from Kildare, Declan originally moved to Canada twenty-five years ago where he met his wife before moving to Dubai for sixteen years. Declan and his family are now back in Canada, residing in Niagara Falls, Ontario. We recorded this conversation a couple hours before he was due to perform at a private gig in the Brazen Head in Liberty Village, Toronto in aid of the Toronto Irish FC.

In this episode, we discuss the reasons Declan moved to Canada, Dubai and back to Canada again, how he got started in the entertainment industry, the prestigious Golden Visa awarded to him by the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority and what the future holds for him in Canada. In this podcast, we meet Declan O’Sullivan, the person, but he allows us to meet Paddyman as well as he indulges us with three wonderful songs, written by himself. It was a pleasure to sit down and see Paddyman live.

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 Bronwyn Brennan. Bronwyn is a twenty-four-year-old writer based in Toronto. ‘The Boy From Dublin’ is her debut novel, inspired by her grandfather’s life and stories. She currently runs a small hockey school based in the city and works extensively with the girls division, concentrating her efforts on growing women’s hockey and guiding young athletes toward the collegiate level and beyond.

In this episode, we discuss Bronwyn's Irish roots, her passion for storytelling and her journey playing and coaching hockey.

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.

How to buy 'The Boy From Dublin':

https://www.bronwynbrennan.ca/

https://rebooks.ca/shop/p/the-boy-from-dublin

https://www.amazon.ca/Boy-Dublin-Bronwyn-Brennan-ebook/dp/B0DZ748RYM

Today, I’ll be chatting with Jack Fogarty. I came to know Jack when he began hurling with my club here in Toronto, Na Piarsaigh. Jack is a laid back character who has become a feature of the Irish community here in Toronto. Jack regularly performs in Irish bars around the city. For St. Patrick’s Day in 2025, Jack managed to organise his band, The Fogues, who are still based in Ireland, to come to Toronto where they played a few gigs to huge success. Jack’s relaxed outlook on life is one I hope to take with me going forward. I really hope you enjoy this chat with Cork native, Jack Fogarty.

Dave is founder and CFO of HAB Strategy as well as Irish Chartered Accountant Chapter Head here in the city of Toronto.

Originally from the sunny south east, Dave & his wife Mags moved here in early 2018 in pursuit of adventure. Having also travelled to South America, India, South East Asia and Eastern Africa, moving to Toronto actually marked their very first time in North America!

Getting initially settled in and particularly through the challenging time of the pandemic with the arrival of their first child, Dave discusses the importance of the GAA community and the support network it has provided away from home.

Not that he wasn’t already busy enough, Dave established his business in 2022 working with tech startups and agencies to strategically unlock profit potential with additional financial insights and benchmarking and proactively manage cashflow and financing along the way.

Thanks very much to Ernesto and Keshia from Garcia Creative for making all this happen.

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.

In this episode, Gearóid speaks about the ICUF scholarship program which brought him to Fredericton. You will hear about how he settled in one of Canada’s smaller cities and how being Irish shaped his experience. Gearóid 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.

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.