Corkonians Abroad: I work on ski lifts, but I do miss the soul of Cork

Q: Where are you from originally, Sam, and what was life like there?

I grew up in Milford, a small village just outside Charleville on the Cork-Limerick border.

I then moved to Bishopstown when I was 13 for secondary school while my parents now reside in Glanmire, where I also lived for a year before moving to Canada.

Despite growing up in a safe and peaceful area, I always felt like the black sheep in my class. I was always curious about the world from a young age and would be that kid who would ask the ‘different’ question whenever we had visitors to our school, or happily strike up a conversation with someone often decades older than myself when we had people call to the house.

Looking back, that’s probably where I got the yearning for adventure and doing something a bit out of the ordinary.

Sport and radio/newspapers were my major interests growing up. There’s quite a large age gap between myself and my sister so if I didn’t have friends over, I would have to come up with my own entertainment. This often involved hours of hitting a tennis ball/sliotar up against the wall or across the garden, mimicking the commentator I had just heard on TV and conducting my own championship or World Cup draws while compiling the corresponding fixtures and results to go with it.

Q: What drove you to move to another country?

As I headed into my final year of college in 2022, I felt life had begun to grow stale, where I would do the same things every week, meeting the same people without really feeling I was growing as a person, despite having a lot going for me on paper such as promising career prospects, a degree, etc.

And so, as soon as I got the piece of paper (a degree in Government/Political Science), I headed off to New Zealand in October, 2022, for the year as my older sister Jenny was there, and still is to this day.

Q: Where do you live now, and what is it like there?

I first moved to Canada last March, where I lived in Vancouver, British Colombia. Currently, I live in Banff, a ski resort town in the Canadian Rockies of Alberta. The nearest city is Calgary, about an hour drive away.

I have lived here since October and am here for the ski season, which runs until usually the end of April, weather dependent.

As one could imagine, one of the main points of difference here is the snow! Lots of it! With the glamour also comes the cold, however. Temperatures here can reach as low as –30 with treacherous risks to road conditions, and indeed to your own health a very real factor here.

Q: Do you have family where you live now?

I don’t have any family here, but the wonderful thing about travelling alone is the friends you make become your family.

They’re the first ones to find out about your day, any news you may have, and the first ones you turn to when you need a word of advice. Trust me, that’s a pretty cool thing to have and I never take it for granted.

Q: What has been the most memorable moment in your new home?

It’s hard to pick out one moment, but for me, the first night out I had with my new-found friends in St James’s Gate, Banff’s local Irish pub. It has become a weekly ritual to head here every Thursday for the live music and a couple of pints of Guinness (the poor relation to Murphys).

I’m going to have to start charging that place commission, however, as I usually bring anywhere from 10-20 people every week and we even have our own snug! So, if anyone from the pub ends up reading this, you owe me. Big time.

Q: What is your job/career where you now live?

I work as a lift operator on Mount Norquay. Being a ‘lifty’, as its commonly known, involves ensuring the safe operation of the chairlifts which bring skiers and snowboarders up and down the ski runs.

It is quite a popular seasonal job as it comes with perks such as free skiing on the mountain and heavily discounted rates at others in the surrounding areas of Banff such as Sunshine Village and Lake Louise - two of the most famous ski resorts in the world.

Q: How might you spend your weekend?

I’m lucky that I get Saturdays and Sundays off so I’m able to catch up with all the sport from home. The seven-hour time difference makes it easy enough to watch all the matches live so if I’m not skiing, I’m glued to my laptop/TV watching Munster, both Irish soccer and rugby teams, Cork City (for my sins) and of course, my beloved Cork hurlers and footballers.

Interesting side note, current Cork hurling boss Ben O’Connor used to make my hurleys growing up, it’s just a shame I didn’t have the talent to match. Anyways, this is finally the year Liam MacCarthy comes back from his own travels. I just know it.

Q: How is the culture where you live different from Cork/Ireland? How is it the same?

I would consider Banff, and indeed the province of Alberta, to be quite different in general to home. Firstly, there aren’t many Irish people, let alone anyone from Cork living here, with most seasonal workers coming from Australia, the UK, and other parts of Canada.

The town is heavily reliant on tourism with the money mainly being in hospitality here. Like America, tipping culture here is very prevalent, and it’s frowned upon not to tip your server for each drink/food order you make.

Surprisingly, for a place which is renowned throughout North America, Banff is a small town with a population of just under 10,000. Similar issues to home such as housing, healthcare and the cost of living all exist here. This has led to calls for Alberta to hold an independence referendum to separate from Canada. Public reaction among the local population is mixed, however, and the petition under Canadian law requires 600,000 signatures before it can be considered.

One thing we could definitely learn from, however, is how they look after nature. With the town being situated on Banff National Park, there are very strict rules in place with regards to recycling and looking after wildlife. There is a large bear and deer population here and anyone caught feeding wildlife can be fined up to 30,000 Canadian Dollars.

Q: What do you miss most about Cork?

The soul of the place. I’ve been lucky to travel around the world and it simply isn’t the same anywhere else. From the food to the pubs, to the craic and natural beauty that surrounds us.

It’s hard to describe it to people who have never been, Cork really is such a special place with a unique culture and identity. My friends back home jokingly accuse me of being Cork’s worst critic, but abroad I am as die-hard and staunchly pro the People’s Republic as you will find. I simply couldn’t imagine being from anywhere else.

Q: Do you get to go home to Cork often? What do you do when you return?

I last got home in July for ten days for a concert and to see some close friends/family. I’ll be back in July for a trip to Killarney, Co. Kerry (the old enemy) with a few of the lads.

At that stage, I will have a better idea of where I’ll be depending on work, and other opportunities that may arise.

Q: Any special mentions to family/friends back home in Cork?

I must give a shout out to my parents, firstly, my Mam Margaret who’ll probably be too embarrassed to read her name being mentioned or too busy dancing the night away in Forde’s Bar, depending on the day this comes out. My Mam’s other half, aka my Dad Maurice, is actually a Limerick man but he does read The Echo so we’ll forgive him just this once.

Also, to all my Cork friends based at home, Dublin, and further afield, you know who you are, miss ye lots, but remember it’s not goodbye, it’s just see you later.

Q: If you could spend an ideal day in Cork, what would that entail?

A cooked breakfast at home followed by a game of tennis in either Bishopstown or Sunday’s Well. Then into town to watch the Cork hurlers in the Munster championship down the Pairc followed by a couple of Murphy’s and some trad in Sin É. A King Creole in KC’s on the way home and that sounds ideal to me.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

As I mentioned, I’ve always had a passion for radio and newspapers. Ultimately, my dream job is to be a journalist, be it covering sport, travel or current affairs.

I was the Sports Editor of the University Express, the UCC newspaper, while I was also a freelance sports journalist covering mainly Cork City/Cobh matches and local AIL games, and I also got to cover the FIFA Women’s World Cup when I was in New Zealand.

I also worked in radio presenting on UCC 98.3Fm, LIFE Fm, and got to work behind the scenes with Red Fm all while I was in college.

I have started writing and pitching articles again so fingers crossed it’s the start of a new journey!

For next year, I have also applied for Masters courses in journalism and other areas related to my degree in universities throughout Europe.

I want to go to Australia next year for the Rugby World Cup with friends from home, while also being able to catch up with some new ones I’ve made throughout my travels.

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