While we have had some amazing guests on this podcast over the past three years, today I am proud to introduce our most distinguished guest of all, Her Excellency, the Consul General of Ireland in Toronto, Ms. Janice McGann. In fact, Janice became the inaugural Consul General of Ireland in Toronto back in 2022.

As her appointment in Toronto comes to its end, Janice took time out of her busy schedule to sit down with me and suffer through what she called a truly authentic Irish in Toronto experience by appearing on the podcast. We discuss the challenges of establishing a brand new Consulate in a place with a large Irish diaspora. We also discuss Janice’s career before coming to Toronto and what the future will look like for her as she begins a new role with the Department of Foreign Affairs at home in Dublin.

The Irish community in Toronto will be forever grateful to Janice and her team for the work they have put in over the past few years to establish the Consulate and we wish her the best.

Today, I’ll be chatting with Michael Doyle. I first came to know Michael when his daughter Madeleine was selected as the winner of the inaugural Irish Heritage Awards for her artwork depicting Thomas D’arcy McGee and the expectations of Irish emigrants to Canada. Michael was born in Toronto to two Irish parents and this provides us with a unique insight into the identity of a second-generation Irish-Canadian. Michael is very honest about his perspective on his Irish identity and how that has changed throughout the years, from his childhood to the early 1990s and his experiences studying Irish at the University of St. Michael’s College, right up to his retirement plans.

Today, I’ll be chatting with Robin Bury. I recently read Robin’s memoir: On the Margin, in which he writes about his life, particularly about growing up as the son of a Protestant clergyman in county Cork. We discuss some of that during this episode as well as Robin’s move to Toronto nearly a decade ago, in his mid-seventies. Born in India, raised in Ireland, periods spent in the UK, Kenya and now residing in Canada, Robin has a great story to tell. Stay tuned for an especially interesting story about access to contraception in Ireland when Robin began dating, and his opinion on it. I have provided a link below for you if you wish to purchase Robin’s memoir to hear more fascinating stories.

https://books.friesenpress.com/store/title/119734000350286610/Robin-Bury-On-the-Margin