Irish-born content creator Jamie Harkin has been making his way across Canada since a grand move abroad in 2024.
He made the move by himself and began documenting his experiences on an Instagram account that has raked up over 170,000 followers.
On his second visit to Halifax, he stopped by the CTV Your Morning Atlantic studio to discuss the journey and his impressions of Canada’s Maritime provinces.
“I just love the East Coast,” he says, adding it can be a nice break from city life in Toronto, where he lives when he’s not travelling.
“I love the people here, I think the people on the East Coast are probably one of the best things about it. I just feel like whenever you come to the East Coast you can just, like, chill a little.”
Harkin says the baked goods are one thing he’s particularly enjoyed from the region, mentioning by name the croissants from downtown Dartmouth’s Two If By Sea Café.
He mentions a visit to Peggy’s Cove in July when it was much warmer and sunnier than now. He compares it to his home in Ireland, where he moved from the town of Omagh.
“It’s not as cold as here right now, I think it’s like seven or eight degrees,” he says. “But it rains a lot.”
Harkin also points to Newfoundland as a special part of Canada in his province-to-province journey, noting its prominent Irish culture.
“I love Newfoundland, we actually went to Newfoundland in April [2025], there was like four of us in the pub there, and it was just such a special experience, I feel like it’s so like home.”
In a post on Instagram, he writes: “The first thing I saw from the plane window was green fields. For a second I thought I was landing back in Ireland.”
His posts have earned him a major following and he’s picked up some Canadian sponsors. He was even invited to the Juno Awards.
“This was never part of the grand plan, but it’s just been wild,” he explains.
“I was just at the Junos on the weekend, which was just incredible, and yeah I get to work with some brilliant partners like Canadian Tire, and it’s been a wild ride but I’m so grateful.”
He mentions missing two things from Ireland: “The butter is one of the things I miss, and I think until you’ve tried Irish butter, you don’t get it.”
He also mentions missing his family, with an ocean between them.
“I think that’s the main thing, I wish you could just teleport them from there to here, just some of the harder days. Whenever you’re living abroad, I just think it’s one of the things that come with it.”
Harkin’s parents visited for the first time in July, experiencing Ontario and Montreal. He says they’re coming again this summer, and he hopes to bring them to the East Coast.
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