by Donald Wiedman

Welcome to my writing samples. I have been producing written work professionally since… before the internet, engaging and motivating people to take a closer look at everything from Canadian Architecture to public transit, blue box recycling to the Ontario greenbelt.

Lately I’ve been writing about bicycle and transit travel in and around Toronto and the Greater Golden Horseshoe, Celtic hockey and Canadian basketball, and steering people toward donating a used bicycle during their next vacation south.

As well, I’ve had the recent pleasure of interviewing and writing about some of the greatest personalities and music of Irish (and Cornish!) Rock & Roll.

Please read on…

Donald Wiedman
Toronto, Canada

Contact me

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The Drake Effect

by Donald Wiedman
for Adrenelin

February 14, 2016 is a long way from September 30, 2013. Two years, four months and two weeks, actually. But when NBA commissioner Adam Silver stood in the Air Canada Centre last fall, alongside politicians, corporate executives and other dignitaries, to announce that Toronto will host the first ever NBA All Star Game to be held outside of the United States, all eyes were on… Drake.

Snowy White – One Man, One Guitar

by Donald Wiedman
for Vintage Guitar

Snowy White, one of the finest blues and rock musicians to come out of the U.K., built a career on near-anonymity. Deliberately. “It is my nature,” he explains. “If the spotlight hits me, my inclination is to step out of it. I’m actually quite a private person.”

Celts on Ice

by Donald Wiedman
for Celtic Life International

NHL’s ‘Celtic Era’ came and went anything but quietly

A dig into the history of the National Hockey League reveals that the NHL’s ‘Celtic Era’ came and went anything but quietly. From 1919 to 2010, 30 professional ice hockey players born in the Celtic nations of Scotland, Ireland and Wales left quite a loud impression on the North American game.

Jim Fitzpatrick sticks to his pacifist principals

by Donald Wiedman
for Celtic Life International

Irish artist patiently awaits legal transfer of his iconic Che artwork to Cuba

In today’s world where hundreds of people are ‘famous just for being famous’, Dublin resident and Celtic Art master draftsman Jim Fitzpatrick is perhaps the exact opposite.

Phil Lynott’s really big year

by Donald Wiedman
for Guitar Planet

Late Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott riding a growing new wave of appreciation

Despite not being with us for over twenty-five years now – twenty-seven years this January 4th – Irish singer, songwriter, bass player and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott still managed to have quite a year in 2012. Perhaps not adding up to much ‘money in the bank’, Lynott’s words and music did however ride a growing new wave of appreciation.

Got a new bike? Here’s what to do with the ‘old one’

by Donald Wiedman
for Pedal

As much as 98% of your old bike is reusable or recyclable

If you’ve invested in a new bicycle in the past few years, bought one or more for the family, even upgraded to a better used bike, chances are you still have an ‘old bike’ or two in your basement, garage, or cluttering up the storage. With as much as 98% of any bicycle reusable or recyclable, it doesn’t have to end that way.

“My Boy” is back in town!

by Donald Wiedman
for Celtic Life International

Irish rock superstar Phil Lynott’s mom has a #1 bestseller now available on e-book in Canada

Philomena Lynott has been a popular celebrity in Ireland and the UK for years. A gifted public speaker and best-selling author, she is adored worldwide by rock music fans who know her as the sweet, straight shooting mother of Phil Lynott, Dublin’s celebrated “Black Irishman vocalist with the unmistakable voice.”

A Greenbelt Valentine

by Donald Wiedman
for Friends of the Greenbelt Foundation’s Our Living Countryside

Roses are red, Valentines too, Our Greenbelt is green, So how about you?

Thinking of doing something romantic, healthy and green this Valentine’s Day? The Greenbelt has much to offer to help you express your amorous feelings. All the while enjoying the many tastes and wonders of the Greenbelt’s surrounding farms, communities and natural spaces.

Frank Gehry – He’s Coming Home

by Donald Wiedman
for the Royal Architecture Institute of Canada’s Festival of Architecture

The (Canadian) fish that got away

He is being hailed from California to the Basque. He is the architect of the moment, having just completed what many are calling “the building of the century”, the Guggenheim Museum in Bilbao, Spain. Yet with all the accolades, only small honourable mentions are made of his Canadian roots.