The Meaning Of Life with Gay Byrne
What's it all about? Why am I here? Is there a God? Why do bad things happen? What happens when we die?
In this new series of one to one interviews Gay Byrne talks to public figures about these questions and others. Like him, none of them is a religious expert, but all of them have, at times, had cause to think about The Meaning of Life.
Programme One: 19th April, 10.20pm
Hollywood idol, Colin Farrell, discusses his beliefs and values and, with remarkable candour, explores the depths and causes of his addictions. He also speaks movingly about how being the father of a son with severe special needs has changed his outlook on the value of a life and given him a new sense of purpose.
Programme Two: 26th April, 10.20pm
Gay talks to Sinn Fein President, Gerry Adams about the impact his beliefs have had on his career as a Republican activist. He speaks with remarkable candour about his moral ground rules and his regrets about times when they were broken. He also speaks about forgiveness - his own and other people's - and his beliefs about the after-life and final judgment.
Programme Three: 3rd May, 10.20pm
Maeve Binchy lost the Catholic faith of her upbringing during a trip to Jerusalem, in her twenties. It was like the Road to Damascus experience in reverse, she explains, and left her with a deep sense of loss. The best-selling author tells Gay Byrne how she has since found other things, besides religion, to give her life meaning.
Programme Four: 10th May, 10.20pm
Gay described Ronan Keating as "a revelation" after an hour in candid and thoughtful conversation with the singer. Raised a Catholic, Keating has had to come to terms with the loss of his mother. He talks about turning his grief into something positive, through the Foundation his family set up in her name.
Programme Five: 17th May, 10.20pm
Sinead O'Connor has spoken to Gay many times during the course of her career and the trust and fondness that exists between the two of them is instantly clear, as she discusses her ideas about God and the part they play in her artistic work.
Programme Six: 24th May, 10.20pm
Oscar-winning writer and director, Neil Jordan, begins his interview with Gay by saying he isn't religious, but then proceeds to reveal a belief that life somehow continues after death. He recounts how his dying father assured him that he would make contact from the other side. and then appeared to him five years later, on an aeroplane, during a thunderstorm.
