Blarney, Bloomsday and Building

Here’s wishing you health, happiness and some luck of the Irish thrown in for good measure with St. Patrick’s Day around the corner, March 17th.

Our fave Irish eyes smile at you from the Emerald Isle coast.
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Teaghan (13) and Dillon O’Shea (11)

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Following our Irish summer vacation we threw a celebration to unveil four newly-named thoroughfares in Toronto’s Beach community in honour of Irish author

James Joyce and his literary masterpiece Ulysses.

For over a quarter-century a group of actors and musicians have made their annual pilgrimage through our waterfront community in honour of Joyce’s fictitious day unfolding on June 16th, 1904.

It all seemed quite fitting considering Toronto was known as

‘Dublin Township’ before it was called York, and became Toronto in 1834. 2019 marks Toronto’s 185th birthday.
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(Councillor Mary-Margaret McMahon, Toronto Bloomsday founder Mary Durkan,
Rory O’Shea, Irish Ambassador to Canada, Jim Kelly)

The names approved by the City of Toronto all have a Dublin connection:

Sandycove Way, Stephen’s Green Way, Liffey Way and Bloomsday Way – all extend from

Peggy Delaney Way (Peggy Delaney 1924-2010 / considered the matriarch of Toronto’s Irish community).

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The lane-naming event was also captured as a short documentary and was featured at the 2019 Toronto Irish Film Festival with Ireland’s Ambassador to Canada in attendance.
The doc will next be shown in Ireland this summer.
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In this voice acting update, the theme builds. No, literally. It’s a building theme. First, I’m pleased to announce I was chosen to be the voice for Craftsman power tools in Canada. I ratchet my voice up for this one. I know. You saw that coming. Ha!

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Click to hear Craftsman commercial

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Some build. Some bash. In this production it’s a mish-mash.

Kingdom Builders is a popular web cartoon with talk of a feature production for Netflix. I play the indifferent and cynical

‘Crow de Bar’. He’s the dude in purple with, well, a crowbar for a skull. When he’s in a tight spot he uses his head. Again, Ha!

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Kingdom Builders: ‘Crow de Bar’

VO by Rory O’Shea

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Time for a theme transition – from building – to kingdoms. Here’s another animated project – yet more in the instructional realm than kids entertainment.

And realm is appropriate as we focus on another “throne”.

I play the Narrator and “Sir Peeter” in this Public Service Announcement to raise awareness for what should NOT be flushed down the loo.

This is number two in the series. So to speak.

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‘Own Your Throne’ – Narrator & Sir Peeter

VO by Rory O’Shea

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I’ll close out our kingdom theme and wrap it with Irish love and the Kingdom of Kerry. As we near the day to honour Ireland’s patron saint I’d like to perfect my County Kerry accent.
It’s a tough one for sure as you’ll hear right here: