This week we are rebroadcasting our interview with Pádraig Ó Tuama, originally aired in September of 2019. 

The Isle of Éire (Ireland) is rich with stories held by the land, both ancient and modern, laden with both fierce culture and colonial violence. Pádraig Ó Tuama perceives these complex layers of history with acute insights into the lingering impacts of imperialism and sectarianism that have divided Ireland. By acknowledging deeply rooted cultural pain, Pádraig calls for Irish, English, and the rest of us to heal by reckoning with the past and embracing the creative potential held within our differences. Pádraig’s work has been embodied by having served as a leader at Corrymeela, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation organization. In this interview, Pádraig exposes the wounds of colonization, the partition of Ireland, and The Troubles, while illustrating today’s challenges to Irish sovereignty that have resurfaced with Brexit. To Pádraig, land and language form the bedrock of culture, both equally vulnerable to colonization that severs the fabric of communities; language also offers the promise of healing from conflict if we are to revive our connections to the land and to each other. 

Enter a poetic journey where the land awaits us beyond the divide of borders, history, and suffering. Ayana and Pádraig explore the language of uncommon belonging; how we must learn from our shame and the danger of forgetting history, the life cycle of violence, the nature of colonial power, and how to confront the inheritance of privilege. Pádraig reminds us of the real power of story to shape our lives and calls for the revival of the bodily, earthen origins of Irish language. 

Poet and theologian, Pádraig Ó Tuama’s work centres around themes of language, power, conflict and religion. Working fluently on the page and in public, Pádraig is a compelling poet and skilled speaker, teacher and group worker. Pádraig presents Poetry Unbound with On Being Studios and in late 2019 was named Theologian in Residence for On Being, innovating in bringing art and theology into public and civic life. From 2014-2019 he was the leader of the Corrymeela Community, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation community. 

♫ The music featured in this episode is “Ciamar a Nì Mi" by Peia.

Episode References

 In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World by Pádraig Ó Tuama

“The Place Between” by Pádraig Ó Tuama from Neither Here no There: The Many Voices of Liminality edited by Timothy Cardon

Corrymeela 

Moving Beyond Sectarianism: Religion, Conflict and Reconciliation in Northern Ireland by Joseph Liechty, Cecelia Clegg

Pádraig’s Recommendations

Conflict Resolution for Holy Beings by Joy Harjo

How to Love a Country by Richard Blanco

Magdalene by Marie Howe

The Displaced Children of Displaced Children by Faisal Mohyuddin

Don’t Call Us Dead by Danez Smith

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