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    NORTHERN IRELAND
    Justice Teresa Doherty on Justice and Reconciliation
    05:39

    Justice Teresa Doherty on Justice and Reconciliation

    Just Teresa Doherty shares from her experiences about the role of justice in reconciliation. This clip is taken from our podcast, also available on our YouTube channel or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
    GOTF Podcast - Justice Teresa Doherty
    01:27:41

    GOTF Podcast - Justice Teresa Doherty

    This interview includes some of the most gruesome details we’ve recorded in any of our podcasts because they relate to crimes against humanity in war. If ever we would want there to be a Guardian of the Flame of humanity it would be in a court of law when dealing with horrific crimes against the most vulnerable human beings alive today. Justice Teresa Doherty is a remarkably courageous woman who speaks in this interview extensively about a brave career devoted to the rights of the most vulnerable on this planet. It was a privilege to interview Justice Doherty who has served around the world in law and in Northern Ireland in the early days of the Troubles. In recent years she has written some of the most landmark legal opinions which have had ripple effects on cases all over the world, particularly related to the rights of women and girls in wars. In this interview she also spoke of her upbringing as a Catholic girl in pre-civil rights Northern Ireland and of her time in Papua New Guinea. Towards the end of her career she has presided over the Special Court for Sierra Leone which sentenced Liberian warlord Charles Taylor, the first sitting head of state to be convicted of war crimes. The most significant decisions she wrote were related to Gender Based Violence and in particular key opinions on sexual slavery and an opinion on forced marriage as crimes against humanity. She also wrote a definition of the use of a child in conflict as a crime against humanity which was followed afterwards by the International Criminal Court.
    GOTF LIVE Podcast with John Herron
    01:10:08

    GOTF LIVE Podcast with John Herron

    Since we started the Guardians Of The Flame project we’ve seen how religious rhetoric and imagery can provide fuel not just for sectarian conflicts, but also for degrading and damaging LGBTQ+ people. John Herron is a friend of ours. He was a pastor in a conservative Pentecostal church for many years, he underwent so called “reparative therapy” which left him no less gay, but all the more isolated and living in a place of shame. That all changed when he was outed and faced rejection and abandonment from his church. Since then he has been on a road to healing and accepting his sexuality, not as a disease to be healed from, but something about him that makes him unique and a gift to the world. The subject of sexuality continues to be such a challenging question for Christians to engage constructively with. It is one of the main reasons why young people leave churches. We hope this live conversation with John will help heterosexual people of faith learn from his story, to reach for empathy and to move further along a path to constructive dialogue with LGBTQ people. A dialogue which is about listening and laying down the privilege of always having the microphone. For our many listeners who are not coming from a faith tradition we hope this episode gives a hopeful vision for a pluralistic society as we move into 2022.
    GOTF Podcast - Bertie Ahern: Former Irish Taoiseach
    39:05

    GOTF Podcast - Bertie Ahern: Former Irish Taoiseach

    We interviewed the former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern this week for Guardians Of The Flame. In his role leading the Irish government from 1997 he built relationships with the then new British PM Tony Blair and with the political leaders in Northern Ireland. He played a monumental role in paving the way for the Good Friday Agreement which brought a final peace to the 30 years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. During our conversation we spoke about Bloody Sunday. This interview is being released just before the 30th January which is the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Bertie Ahern was playing Gaelic Football in Drumcondra on the north side of Dublin on the day it happened. But 26 years later in 1998 he was ushering in a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Every Prime Minister will leave a legacy domestically and in foreign policy. For us living north of the Irish border Bertie Ahern was one of the most positively consequential leaders. In this interview he speaks of how he became friends with the late Ian Paisley, the firebrand Protestant preacher and politician. We also spoke about deep challenges facing us in the present day by Brexit which Bertie Ahern recognises as a disaster for Ireland. Peace has come in Ireland as grassroots individuals, victims and former combatants have chosen the way of peace. But political leaders have ultimately also paved the way for the peace we enjoy today by being able to make difficult and at times controversial agreements. We have a lot to thank Bertie Ahern for as we reflect on the post-Troubles society we enjoy today.
    GOTF Podcast -  Brother Thierry Marteaux: Benedictine Spirituality & The Way of Jesus
    59:15

    GOTF Podcast - Brother Thierry Marteaux: Benedictine Spirituality & The Way of Jesus

    Brother Thierry is one of the Benedictine monks from the Holy Cross Abbey in Rostrevor. It is a community of Brothers who came to Northern Ireland to be a presence of reconciliation in the midst of our ongoing religious and ethnic conflict. In normal years thousands come through their doors and just about as many Protestants come to sit at the feet of these holy men as Catholics. They truly are peace makers and their roots go deep. The spirituality of Benedictines is rooted in prayer and silence. We recorded an interview with Brother Thierry early on in our podcasts and it was a conversation full of depth and wisdom. So we wanted to record Brother Thierry on film. We touched on both the depth of Benedictine spirituality and also the residue of mistrust about institutional religion and the Catholic Church in Ireland and in much of the West. This is a warm hearted interview with a man who embodies fortitude, grace and wisdom. These gifts plus a life of prayerfulness offer a way of looking at the world that is perhaps a signpost pointing towards our true home.
    GOTF Podcast - Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin: Music Of The Soul
    42:54

    GOTF Podcast - Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin: Music Of The Soul

    Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin is a singer-songwriter as well as an academic. She has worked with the likes of celebrated Irish poets Seamus Heaney and Ciaran Carson and has sung and recorded with many Irish folk musicians. She has recorded her own original songs as well as uncovering in her research ancient songs and putting them to music. This is a wide ranging interview where we touch on both her music, her life and career as well as spirituality in Ireland. She also sang a few songs from some of her research and albums. This interview was recorded in the Holy Cross Abbey in Rostrevor. The monks from the Benedictine Abbey kindly let us use their church which is a perfect backdrop for Pádraigin’s beautiful and poignant voice. Pádraigin is a national treasure and is another signpost to an Ireland that treasures it’s mystical past but in a way that transcends sectarian and religious divides. Her work can be found at www.irishsong.com
    Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin -  My Mind's Desire (Ropo mian dom menmainse)
    03:39

    Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin - My Mind's Desire (Ropo mian dom menmainse)

    We have a new season of podcasts coming very soon, including an interview with Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin which we will share in the coming weeks. For now, here is the first of 2 songs that Pádraigin sang for us in the Benedictine Abbey in Rostrevor. This is a 12th century monastic song which Pádraigin has discovered in her research and brought back to life - My Mind's Desire (Ropo mian dom menmainse)” from her recording Songs of the Scribe (Guth Ár Sinsear).
    Liam McCloskey in Derry/Londonderry
    10:13

    Liam McCloskey in Derry/Londonderry

    Jonny talks former hunger striker and inmate of the Maze Prison Liam McCloskey in his home town of Derry/Londonderry.
    GUARDIANS STORIES
    Liam McCloskey in Derry/Londonderry
    10:13

    Liam McCloskey in Derry/Londonderry

    Jonny talks former hunger striker and inmate of the Maze Prison Liam McCloskey in his home town of Derry/Londonderry.
    Alan McBride - Shankill Bomb (GOTF Documentary)
    04:17

    Alan McBride - Shankill Bomb (GOTF Documentary)

    28 years ago on the 23rd October 1993, an IRA bomb went off in a well loved fish shop in the loyalist Shankill Road. The bomb killed 9 innocent civilians, and also one of the two bombers. People were queuing for their fish and the owner of the shop and his daughter were behind the counter serving people. The bomb left many bereaved and a whole area indelibly marked by the carnage. Alan McBride is a man of courage who is deeply committed to a transformed society where we can deal with the painful legacy of the past and become a society of reconciliation. In this clip from our documentary, Alan talks about the bomb which killed his wife and he speaks about the challenging journey of acknowledging the humanity of the 19 year old men who grew up close to him and who carried a bomb that day into a busy fish shop. To watch the full documentary go to guardiansoftheflame.org
    Richard Moore - Rosemount School
    10:01

    Richard Moore - Rosemount School

    This a short video we filmed in addition to our podcast with Richard Moore, outside Rosemount Primary school in Derry/Londonderry, where in 1972 he was shot and blinded by a British soldier with a rubber bullet. Richard was ten years old and it was just weeks after Bloody Sunday where one of his uncles was killed. Since that time Richard has become something of a modern day saint and he transformed his suffering into love and compassion. - To watch or listen to our full podcast with Richard, visit our YouTube channel or find it wherever you get your
    Kathleen Gillespie: The day her husband became 'The Human Bomb'.
    09:59

    Kathleen Gillespie: The day her husband became 'The Human Bomb'.

    On 24 October 1990 Patsy Gillespie was chained into his seat and made to drive into an army base with a van carrying over 1200 pounds of explosives. Kathleen Gillespie, Patsy’s widow, is a remarkable woman of courage, passion and empathy. In this short clip, Kathleen describes the events surrounding that day when her husband became known as 'The Human Bomb'.- This clip is taken from our podcast with Kathleen Gillespie and Anne Walker, available on our YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts.
    James Greer - From Paramilitaries to Peacemaker
    12:55

    James Greer - From Paramilitaries to Peacemaker

    James Greer shares his powerful story of joining the UDA, ending up in prison and then the transformative experience that led him to the path of a peacemaker. This clip was taken from our podcast with James, available on our YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts.
    MUSIC & THE ARTS
    Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin -  My Mind's Desire (Ropo mian dom menmainse)
    03:39

    Pádraigín Ní Uallacháin - My Mind's Desire (Ropo mian dom menmainse)

    We have a new season of podcasts coming very soon, including an interview with Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin which we will share in the coming weeks. For now, here is the first of 2 songs that Pádraigin sang for us in the Benedictine Abbey in Rostrevor. This is a 12th century monastic song which Pádraigin has discovered in her research and brought back to life - My Mind's Desire (Ropo mian dom menmainse)” from her recording Songs of the Scribe (Guth Ár Sinsear).
    Colum Sands - The Night Is Young
    03:04

    Colum Sands - The Night Is Young

    An additional song Colum recorded for us after his conversation with Jonny Clark for the GOTF podcast a while back. Watch the full length podcast on our YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
    Liam Ó Maonlaí - ‘Ag Críost an Síol’ by Seán Ó Riada
    06:46

    Liam Ó Maonlaí - ‘Ag Críost an Síol’ by Seán Ó Riada

    This hymn, sung by Liam Ó Maonlaí, is Seán Ó Ríada's setting of the poem "Ag Críost an Síol". It means Christ is the seed and is included in "Ceol An Aifrinn", Ó Ríada's first setting of the mass. This performance is taken from our podcast with Liam Ó Maonlaí, available on our YouTube page or wherever you get your podcasts.
    Liam Ó Maonlaí - Worry Not (Live from An Cuan)
    06:35

    Liam Ó Maonlaí - Worry Not (Live from An Cuan)

    Watch the full length podcast on our YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
    Liam Ó Maonlaí - Good For You (Live from An Cuan)
    07:08

    Liam Ó Maonlaí - Good For You (Live from An Cuan)

    Watch the full length podcast on our YouTube channel or listen wherever you get your podcasts.
    Liam Ó Maonlaí: Amhrán na hEascainne [Song of the Eel; Joe Heaney]
    07:29

    Liam Ó Maonlaí: Amhrán na hEascainne [Song of the Eel; Joe Heaney]

    Liam Ó Maonlaí: Amhrán na hEascainne [Song of the Eel; Joe Heaney] - This song is taken from our podcast with Liam, which is available to watch on our YouTube channel or wherever you get your podcasts.
    Pádraig Ó Tuama - Shaking Hands (Exclusive Patreon content)
    05:20

    Pádraig Ó Tuama - Shaking Hands (Exclusive Patreon content)

    This is some unseen content that didn't make it into the final cut of our Guardians Of The Flame documentary from Northern Ireland. Pádraig Ó Tuama shares a poem he wrote about the public display of shaking hands between Martin McGuinness and Queen Elizabeth in Belfast in 2012.
    Steve Stockman - Upward Dance of Peace (GOTF documentary out-take)
    01:43

    Steve Stockman - Upward Dance of Peace (GOTF documentary out-take)

    Steve Stockman reads his poem 'Upward Dance of Peace'. This is an out-take from our feature-length Guardians Of The Flame documentary.
    SUFFERING
    Richard Moore - Rosemount School
    10:01

    Richard Moore - Rosemount School

    This a short video we filmed in addition to our podcast with Richard Moore, outside Rosemount Primary school in Derry/Londonderry, where in 1972 he was shot and blinded by a British soldier with a rubber bullet. Richard was ten years old and it was just weeks after Bloody Sunday where one of his uncles was killed. Since that time Richard has become something of a modern day saint and he transformed his suffering into love and compassion. - To watch or listen to our full podcast with Richard, visit our YouTube channel or find it wherever you get your
    Brian Keenan on Suffering
    02:29

    Brian Keenan on Suffering

    The Franciscan writer Richard Rohr among others, has written about the significance of suffering in moving us to the second half of life. That part of life where we move to a more selfless place stripped of what Brian Keenan calls our armour or what the likes of Jung referred to as our mask or others have called our ego or even our false self. Brian walked through one of the darkest tunnels of life one could imagine. A darkness accompanied by torture and loneliness. In his interview though and in this clip we catch a glimpse of a man who has found a deeper life through the suffering he experienced. Listen to the full interview wherever you get your podcasts or watch the interview on our Youtube channel.
    Abbot Mark-Ephrem - Christian Perspectives on Suffering
    01:34

    Abbot Mark-Ephrem - Christian Perspectives on Suffering

    Abbot Mark shares some Christian perspectives on suffering as they relate to violence and conflict. This short clip is taken from our feature-length documentary, available to watch for free on our YouTube channel.
    Alan McBride on Suffering & Understanding
    01:28

    Alan McBride on Suffering & Understanding

    Alan McBride shares about his journey of understanding following the loss of his wife in the Shankill Bombing. This is a short clip taken from our feature-length documentary.
    FORGIVENESS
    Beryl Quigley on Forgiveness (GOTF Documentary)
    00:55

    Beryl Quigley on Forgiveness (GOTF Documentary)

    Beryl Quigley shares about her journey of forgiveness after the loss of her husband during The Troubles. This is a short clip is taken from our feature-length documentary.
    Brian Keenan on Forgiveness
    08:16

    Brian Keenan on Forgiveness

    Brian Keenan spent four and a half years held as a hostage by Islamic Jihad in Beirut during the Lebanese Civil War. During this time he was brutally beaten, tortured and kept blindfolded and chained to a wall for much of the time. In this clip from our 90 minute interview, Brian references the most brutal of his captors, a man called Said. While his views on the f-word, forgiveness, could be dissected and even challenged, there is no doubt that his account of his experience and his understanding of dealing with his pain is profound and deeply challenging...and might include the other f-word, so maybe be careful if children are listening. Listen to the full interview wherever you get your podcasts or watch the interview on our Youtube channel.
    Abbot Mark-Ephrem - The Process of Forgiving
    00:45

    Abbot Mark-Ephrem - The Process of Forgiving

    Abbot Mark describes briefly the journey that is forgiveness. This short clip is taken from our feature-length documentary, available to watch for free on our YouTube channel.
    RELIGION & CONFLICT
    Brian Keenan on Violence in Scripture
    01:52

    Brian Keenan on Violence in Scripture

    A core thread in our documentary and podcasts is the role religion has played in both providing nurture and warmth and contrarily horror and sectarian violence. In this short clip Brian is describing how in his lengthy captivity and isolation how he read the Quran and the Bible many times. He found in them both comfort, but also he saw how religious fundamentalism can take Holy Books and turn them into a raison d'être for war, conquest and fear induced torture. Listen to the full interview wherever you get your podcasts or watch the interview on our Youtube channel.
    Abbot Mark-Ephrem - Christian Perspectives on Suffering
    01:34

    Abbot Mark-Ephrem - Christian Perspectives on Suffering

    Abbot Mark shares some Christian perspectives on suffering as they relate to violence and conflict. This short clip is taken from our feature-length documentary, available to watch for free on our YouTube channel.
    GOTF Documentary - Pádraig Ó Tuama
    25:18

    GOTF Documentary - Pádraig Ó Tuama

    The full-length, unedited interview from the archives of our Guardians Of The Flame documentary.
    JUSTICE
    Justice Teresa Doherty on Justice and Reconciliation
    05:39

    Justice Teresa Doherty on Justice and Reconciliation

    Just Teresa Doherty shares from her experiences about the role of justice in reconciliation. This clip is taken from our podcast, also available on our YouTube channel or wherever you listen to your podcasts.
    Stephen Travers on Justice, the System and Storytelling
    08:15

    Stephen Travers on Justice, the System and Storytelling

    Stephen Travers discusses the role of justice as it relates to his story and the Miami Showband Massacre, as well as the wider context of Northern Ireland and The Troubles. This clip is taken from our Podcast with Stephen, also available on our YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts.
    Beryl Quigley - Justice & Forgiveness
    01:50

    Beryl Quigley - Justice & Forgiveness

    Beryl Quigley reflects on the role of justice as it relates to her own journey of forgiveness after her husband was killed during The Troubles. This is clip is taken from our feature-length documentary, available to watch for free on our YouTube channel.
    VIDEO PODCASTS
    GOTF Podcast - Justice Teresa Doherty
    01:27:41

    GOTF Podcast - Justice Teresa Doherty

    This interview includes some of the most gruesome details we’ve recorded in any of our podcasts because they relate to crimes against humanity in war. If ever we would want there to be a Guardian of the Flame of humanity it would be in a court of law when dealing with horrific crimes against the most vulnerable human beings alive today. Justice Teresa Doherty is a remarkably courageous woman who speaks in this interview extensively about a brave career devoted to the rights of the most vulnerable on this planet. It was a privilege to interview Justice Doherty who has served around the world in law and in Northern Ireland in the early days of the Troubles. In recent years she has written some of the most landmark legal opinions which have had ripple effects on cases all over the world, particularly related to the rights of women and girls in wars. In this interview she also spoke of her upbringing as a Catholic girl in pre-civil rights Northern Ireland and of her time in Papua New Guinea. Towards the end of her career she has presided over the Special Court for Sierra Leone which sentenced Liberian warlord Charles Taylor, the first sitting head of state to be convicted of war crimes. The most significant decisions she wrote were related to Gender Based Violence and in particular key opinions on sexual slavery and an opinion on forced marriage as crimes against humanity. She also wrote a definition of the use of a child in conflict as a crime against humanity which was followed afterwards by the International Criminal Court.
    GOTF Podcast - Bertie Ahern: Former Irish Taoiseach
    39:05

    GOTF Podcast - Bertie Ahern: Former Irish Taoiseach

    We interviewed the former Irish Taoiseach (Prime Minister) Bertie Ahern this week for Guardians Of The Flame. In his role leading the Irish government from 1997 he built relationships with the then new British PM Tony Blair and with the political leaders in Northern Ireland. He played a monumental role in paving the way for the Good Friday Agreement which brought a final peace to the 30 years of the Troubles in Northern Ireland. During our conversation we spoke about Bloody Sunday. This interview is being released just before the 30th January which is the 50th anniversary of Bloody Sunday. Bertie Ahern was playing Gaelic Football in Drumcondra on the north side of Dublin on the day it happened. But 26 years later in 1998 he was ushering in a lasting peace in Northern Ireland. Every Prime Minister will leave a legacy domestically and in foreign policy. For us living north of the Irish border Bertie Ahern was one of the most positively consequential leaders. In this interview he speaks of how he became friends with the late Ian Paisley, the firebrand Protestant preacher and politician. We also spoke about deep challenges facing us in the present day by Brexit which Bertie Ahern recognises as a disaster for Ireland. Peace has come in Ireland as grassroots individuals, victims and former combatants have chosen the way of peace. But political leaders have ultimately also paved the way for the peace we enjoy today by being able to make difficult and at times controversial agreements. We have a lot to thank Bertie Ahern for as we reflect on the post-Troubles society we enjoy today.
    GOTF LIVE Podcast with Sami Awad
    01:04:01

    GOTF LIVE Podcast with Sami Awad

    Sami Awad is a remarkable Palestinian Christian who has been deeply shaped by the life and example of Martin Luther King. Sami is an activist and a passionate believer in the power of nonviolence as a strategy to combat oppression and injustice. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict continues to fester and become more intractable. Sami is an inspirational voice that provides real hope and a third way. His organisation is the Holy Land Trust and his talks and articles can be found in many places online. He has spent a night in an Auschwitz hut in an effort to find empathy for those who are his natural enemies, and he has led nonviolent actions around the West Bank protesting the actions of the Israeli military and the policies of the Israeli government.
    GOTF LIVE Podcast with John Herron
    01:10:08

    GOTF LIVE Podcast with John Herron

    Since we started the Guardians Of The Flame project we’ve seen how religious rhetoric and imagery can provide fuel not just for sectarian conflicts, but also for degrading and damaging LGBTQ+ people. John Herron is a friend of ours. He was a pastor in a conservative Pentecostal church for many years, he underwent so called “reparative therapy” which left him no less gay, but all the more isolated and living in a place of shame. That all changed when he was outed and faced rejection and abandonment from his church. Since then he has been on a road to healing and accepting his sexuality, not as a disease to be healed from, but something about him that makes him unique and a gift to the world. The subject of sexuality continues to be such a challenging question for Christians to engage constructively with. It is one of the main reasons why young people leave churches. We hope this live conversation with John will help heterosexual people of faith learn from his story, to reach for empathy and to move further along a path to constructive dialogue with LGBTQ people. A dialogue which is about listening and laying down the privilege of always having the microphone. For our many listeners who are not coming from a faith tradition we hope this episode gives a hopeful vision for a pluralistic society as we move into 2022.
    GOTF Podcast - Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin: Music Of The Soul
    42:54

    GOTF Podcast - Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin: Music Of The Soul

    Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin is a singer-songwriter as well as an academic. She has worked with the likes of celebrated Irish poets Seamus Heaney and Ciaran Carson and has sung and recorded with many Irish folk musicians. She has recorded her own original songs as well as uncovering in her research ancient songs and putting them to music. This is a wide ranging interview where we touch on both her music, her life and career as well as spirituality in Ireland. She also sang a few songs from some of her research and albums. This interview was recorded in the Holy Cross Abbey in Rostrevor. The monks from the Benedictine Abbey kindly let us use their church which is a perfect backdrop for Pádraigin’s beautiful and poignant voice. Pádraigin is a national treasure and is another signpost to an Ireland that treasures it’s mystical past but in a way that transcends sectarian and religious divides. Her work can be found at www.irishsong.com
    GOTF Podcast -  Brother Thierry Marteaux: Benedictine Spirituality & The Way of Jesus
    59:15

    GOTF Podcast - Brother Thierry Marteaux: Benedictine Spirituality & The Way of Jesus

    Brother Thierry is one of the Benedictine monks from the Holy Cross Abbey in Rostrevor. It is a community of Brothers who came to Northern Ireland to be a presence of reconciliation in the midst of our ongoing religious and ethnic conflict. In normal years thousands come through their doors and just about as many Protestants come to sit at the feet of these holy men as Catholics. They truly are peace makers and their roots go deep. The spirituality of Benedictines is rooted in prayer and silence. We recorded an interview with Brother Thierry early on in our podcasts and it was a conversation full of depth and wisdom. So we wanted to record Brother Thierry on film. We touched on both the depth of Benedictine spirituality and also the residue of mistrust about institutional religion and the Catholic Church in Ireland and in much of the West. This is a warm hearted interview with a man who embodies fortitude, grace and wisdom. These gifts plus a life of prayerfulness offer a way of looking at the world that is perhaps a signpost pointing towards our true home.
    GOTF Podcast - Liam Ó Maonlaí: Songs and Conversation, Live from An Cuan
    01:33:49

    GOTF Podcast - Liam Ó Maonlaí: Songs and Conversation, Live from An Cuan

    Liam Ó Maonlaí is probably best known as lead singer for the Hothouse Flowers, one of the biggest bands in Ireland in the 90’s, and still loved today. As a band they are still producing music and Liam continues to collaborate with the band and with all of Ireland’s best musicians today. Liam is passionate about the Irish language, his songs are steeped in a mystical spirituality, particularly Songs From The Rain. In this interview we hear not only the story behind some of the songs but he also plays 5 beautiful stirring versions. He plays a song from Songs From The Rain, he plays a completely apt song for the Covid times we are in called Worry Not, also a hauntingly beautiful song that can be used in a Catholic mass written by Seán Ó Riada, and a Sean-nos song. Sean-nos is a very traditional way of singing Irish traditional music. All of this, as well as Liam’s exceptional musicianship and his contemplative spirit gives this interview a unique feel.
    GOTF Podcast - Richard Moore: A Rubber Bullet, Forgiveness and The Dalai Llama
    01:07:43

    GOTF Podcast - Richard Moore: A Rubber Bullet, Forgiveness and The Dalai Llama

    Richard Moore was blinded by a plastic bullet after being shot by a British soldier in Derry. This was 1972, Richard was ten years old and it was just weeks after Bloody Sunday where one of his uncles was killed. Since that time Richard has become something of a modern day saint. I remember hosting him two years ago in Rostrevor and being so blown away by what I heard. That day he quoted his friend the Dalai Llama: “we as humans have spent centuries developing the human mind, but we need to start to work on developing the human heart”. Richard is a down to earth man who is not used to complaining. He speaks in this interview, not about his lust for vengeance, but of his compulsion to forgive. In fact he speaks of developing a friendship in later life with the soldier who blinded him. This former military man did not initially say sorry. In fact it took him years. Finally he seemed to give in to the weight of mercy he was shown and expressed a “sorry” for what he had done to a 10 year old boy running through a school playground at Rosemount Primary School. Despite a lifetime of blindness Richard speaks of only a few times he dwelt on the sadness of losing his sight. He says he will often show a picture of his two girls to audiences he is speaking to. He says “you’re doing something I’ll never be able to do: you’re looking at my girls.” He then went on to talk about the gift of forgiveness, how it can’t change the past but how it can change the future. He has developed a charity “Children in Crossfire” which has impacted the lives of countless children around the world. This is an episode of profound hope in the midst of tragedy.