Laois Abroad is brought to you in association with Abbeyleix Chauffeur Services
The always popular Laois Abroad series returns for the first time in 2025.
Colm Quigley’s journey began in early 2011 when he departed these shores and headed for Toronto with three close friends.
Now, almost 15 years later, the Mountmellick native has made Canada’s largest city his new home away from home.
A former student of Mountmellick Community School and Carlow IT, Colm left Ireland when he was just three weeks shy of his 24th birthday.
In an emotional, descriptive, almost poetic interview, Colm explains why he loves Toronto so much and recounts his everlasting grá for his first home.
Where are you originally from, when did you move away, and how did you end up in Toronto?
I’m originally from Mountmellick, a small town that’s full of heart and character. I moved to Toronto back in 2011, so it’s coming up on 15 years now – hard to believe sometimes.
I didn’t have any grand plan at the start, just a desire to travel and see what was out there.
Toronto wasn’t even the first stop in my mind, but once I landed here, I just clicked with the place. The diversity, the opportunities, the buzz – it felt like a natural fit.
Over time, I built a life here: work, friends, routines. Ireland will always be home, but Toronto has really become home too, in its own way.
What’s the best thing about living abroad?
Living abroad gives you a fresh lens on everything – your culture, your values, even your own personality.
The best thing, for me, is how much it forces you to grow. You’re out of your comfort zone, but that’s where all the magic happens.
You learn to be more independent, more adaptable, and more open-minded. Also, Toronto’s full of people from all over the world, so you’re constantly learning about different ways of living and thinking.
That mix of cultures is something I really value. And let’s be honest – there’s something thrilling about making a life for yourself from scratch in a new place and seeing how far you’ve come.
Have you visited Laois much since you left?
I try to get back to Laois about once every year and a half, although the last stretch has been longer – it’s been over three years now.
My parents came over to visit me the last time, so I didn’t make the trip back myself. But I’m actually heading back in May, and I can’t wait.
There’s nothing like the feeling of being home: the familiar roads, the accents, the people you’ve known your whole life. Every time I’m back, I try to visit the chipper, catch up with mates, and soak in the small-town rhythm I grew up with. It recharges you in a way nothing else can.
What’s the funniest or strangest thing that has happened to you on your travels?
There’s been a fair few odd and hilarious moments over the years, but one that stands out is from my first few weeks in Toronto.
I was walking down Queen Street and got stopped by someone asking for directions – except they asked in a thick Dublin accent. We ended up chatting, realised we had mutual friends from back home (as you do), and randomly went for a pint.
That’s the Irish way, I suppose. Another time, I tried explaining what a “chipper” was to a Canadian friend – they thought I meant someone who installed wood chippers or fences.
The look on their face when I said “battered sausage and curry chips” was priceless. You get used to translating Irish into international English after a while.
What have you learned most since leaving Ireland?
I’ve learned that identity is something you carry with you – it doesn’t depend on where you are.
Living in Canada has taught me how to adapt and evolve while still holding onto what matters to me: the humour, the warmth, the loyalty that comes from being Irish.
I’ve also learned that people are people, no matter where they’re from. There’s good and bad everywhere, and it’s your attitude that shapes your experience.
You also learn practical things – how to budget, find your way, deal with bureaucracy.
But more than anything, I’ve learned resilience. When you’re abroad, you’ve got to rely on yourself, especially in those early days when you don’t know anyone.
Do you meet many people from Laois where you live now?
Not loads, but more than you’d think!
The Irish community in Toronto is fairly strong, and now and again I’ll bump into someone who’s either from Laois or knows someone from back there.
There’s always this immediate bond. “You’re from Mountmellick? No way!” It’s comforting, really.
Even if you haven’t met before, there’s a shorthand, a shared understanding that brings a sense of home to wherever you are.
I’ve also met people from other parts of Ireland and you end up building a kind of chosen family. But every now and again, hearing someone mention Portlaoise or the midlands is enough to make you feel like you’ve stepped into a time machine.
What do you miss most about Ireland?
The people, hands down.
Irish humour, the way we slag each other, the quick wit – you really can’t find that anywhere else. The craic is just different.
I also miss the ease of conversation; back home, you can have a laugh with the postman, the barman, anyone really. That natural friendliness is something you don’t realise is so unique until you leave it.
And of course, I miss a proper Irish chipper. Nothing in Toronto quite compares to curry chips and a battered sausage after a night out.
I miss the countryside too – the green, the quiet, the smell of turf, that stuff. It’s in your bones.
Will you return to Laois at some point in the future?
Never say never, but right now, I don’t see myself moving back permanently. My life is really set up here in Toronto – work, friends, routine, all of it. It’s hard to imagine packing it all in.
That said, Laois will always be home in a deep, emotional sense. I’ll always go back to visit, and I do still dream about retiring to a quiet spot somewhere in the midlands.
But for the foreseeable future, Toronto is where I see myself. Still, no matter how long I’m gone, I’ll always be that lad from Mountmellick at heart.
Laois Abroad is brought to you in association with Abbeyleix Chauffeur Services
If you are from Laois and living abroad please get in contact with us to tell your story.
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