Corkonians Abroad: My dad was in The Dixies...now I work in music in Toronto

Where do you live?

Life in Cork was amazing. My Dad (Brendan O’Brien) was in The Dixies showband so even after that ended, our home was always full of music. Growing up in Cork was really lots of fun. We have a ton of cousins, as both my parents come from typical Irish-sized families. Sometimes the fame and fall of my Dad’s career was hard to navigate, but in general, my Cork roots have made for a strong sense of adventure, knowing there is always this solid safety net of brilliant friends and family back there.

I’m now living in Toronto, and am lucky to feel like, really, I just have two homes.

How did you end up in Toronto?

I moved here in the early 90s. I was trying to get my Green Card to go back to New York, but because I had two uncles in Toronto since the 50s, I decided to just throw in an application for here. So, it was random that my Canada papers were approved about six months before I got one of the Donnelly visa Green Cards. But, by then I already knew that Toronto was the place for me.

How is life in your new home?

While there is no place like home, Toronto is really one of the best places I’ve ever been. So great that my four siblings, Trish, Brendan, Conor and Sinead, followed me here, and eventually our Mum came over here too. Toronto is multicultural, friendly and our health care is amazing. 

The great Lakes, the variety from Toronto to Quebec to the East Coast (which is like taking a trip to Ireland), all make for great travel adventures. 

The winter is another story!! If you don’t embrace the snow, ice, and -30 temperatures, then winter can be very long! It really is best to ski, skate, and bundle up in layers of warm clothing.

How might you spend your weekends?

Live music. Toronto has a great music scene. Whether it’s large, medium or local indie venues, there is always something to access. We get all the big U2 and Taylor Swift type of concerts, we have venues where Fontaines DC and soon Kneecap perform, and some excellent local venues where Canadian and global up-and-comers perform. I recently saw Muireann Bradley here at a wonderful garage turned music venue space. I kayak a lot on weekends, go to the theatre.

Tell us a bit about the culture of where you live?

There is not the same sense of humour over here, and you’ll never beat the Cork humour. I think that at the start, the biggest culture shock was the vast number of cultures all over the city. On any given day, I can go to Little India, Little Italy, Korea Town, Greek Town, China Town, Little Portugal or any number of cultures who all have strong roots here now. Plus, each culture has their own social organisations. We have an Irish emigration centre, and we also have The Ireland Canada Foundation, an Irish Chamber of Commerce, GAA for sport, and Toronto Irish Players for theatre so, there is always a network to tap into.

Tell us about your line of work/career?

Aideen Curtin O'Brien with Adam Clayton when they took part in Ballroom Blitz. 

What has been your most memorable moment in your new location so far?

I have many moments! Going back to school after I came here first and graduating into a career that I love. Each time another of my siblings arrived to live here full-time. Becoming a citizen was a big celebration for me and was way more emotional than I had expected. There were people from 34 other countries swearing in that day, and most of those would never be able to return to their home. We are so lucky to be Irish, and I can be home in seven hours on a direct flight. I wish there was a direct flight to Cork Airport! Another great memory is when 23 friends came back to Cork with me and my siblings for my 40th Birthday a few years back. Many of our non-Irish friends wanted to experience Cork with us and Cork didn’t disappoint. They still talk about it to this day.

Any special mentions to friends or family back in Cork?

My friends in Cork make me feel like I never really left, and I tell people that my personal home map just has the Atlantic Ocean in it. When someone from Vancouver moves to live in Toronto, their map has the land mass of Canada between their two homes. I have Cork to Toronto with the ocean mass between my two homes. My core group of friends and I go all the way back to the 80s! Fatz and Ca Desmond, Sharon and Alan McKeown, Hilary and Steve Cronin, Alice Barry, Eilish Murphy and so many more. All my siblings’ friends are family friends, and many of them have been over to us for some great holidays. Sharon Kellaway, Emma White, Raymonte and Charlie, Tishy Toner, Noelle and Val Murphy, and Bernie and Brian Quinn. We are still close with my dad’s friends, Ronnie McGinn, Lucia Fielding, Rory Allen and my mum’s friends too, Nessa and Tom Elliot, Ann O’Connor and so many cousins. We have friends and family in Kerry and Dublin too, but we will keep this to Cork for today.

If you were back in Cork for one day, what would the ideal day be for you?

So many options! I love going down to East Cork. Ballycotton is a beautiful part of the world and my friend, Alice Barry lives down in Aghada. Of course, you can always enjoy West Cork, and I’ve brought many Canadian friends down to Castletownbere to my friend Patrick Cronin, and my cousin has a holiday home in Ballydehob. If I’m in town and catching up with friends, I’ll go to The Long Valley for a bite to eat. We still own property down on North Main Street and I love some of the spots along the Coal Quay for a night out after work. I still pop into The Rob Roy or The Chateau on Patrick Street too and I used to love going to The Tung Sing with my Dad. Happy memories. My two most favourite things I did when home recently was to go sailing with Sail Cork out of Cobh, operated by Eddie English and my tip top favourite was a kayak trip down the River Lee with Jim Kennedy’s Atlantic Sea Kayaking. They are based out of Skibbereen, so I try to get down there more often since I found them. So much beauty to experience from a kayak across Cork.

What are you looking forward to in the coming months?

Building my music publishing business across Canada and Ireland. I want to create a stronger business bridge between both my worlds and what better way to go home often than to make it a business trip. I’m also working on a project that, fingers crossed, will involve working with Alanis Morissette and I’m about to venture into business with a fast-growing company that produces preschool TV shows with lots of music that airs on the YouTube channel “Super Simple Songs”.

Is there anything that you especially miss about Cork?

I miss the character of Cork. The city is just rooted in character. I love to listen to 96FM and RedFM a lot over here. Of course, the afternoon shows are my morning shows, but I love the banter and the craic that just blends into the chit chat. I also love to get a great 99 ice cream, and my Canadian friends, when they visit with me, all love to have a “toasted special”.