Advertise on podcast: Everyday Ethics

A plot to blow up a Mosque in Galway reached court this week. We talk to RTE Crime Correspondent Paul Reynolds and Imam Ibrahim Noonan. Religion and the US Elections. As a blue Democratic Tsunami shakes up the political landscape we look at the impact of religion on the race and whether Evangelicals are still supporting President Trump. Today marks the festival of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights It is celebrated every year on the darkest, new moon night of the lunar month and SHAUNAKA RISHI DAS Director of the Oxford Centre for Hindu Studies tells us more. Finally after more three decades Agnes Lunny from Positive Futures tells us what is next as she retires from the charity she founded.

We’re talking about the dead and the supernatural on the morning of Samhain, the Gaelic festival marking the end of harvest and the beginning of winter. Why are so many of us afraid to talk about death and dying? We’re speaking to Jennifer Hamilton who managed a community crematorium and accompanied the departed on their final journey, speaking to the person in the coffin as she got them ready to leave this world. Our panel will unpack how modern society treats death, the language we use (and don’t use). Does belief in the everlasting change how people view death and their legacy? And how do we speak about what should happen ‘in the event of my death’? Questions that will be tackled by funeral celebrant Rachel Smith along with theologians Dr Elaine Storkey and Dr Joy Allan. Finally, Audrey Carville has been talking to historian Dr Martha McGill who studies the supernatural and explains how religion has shaped views of fairies, ghosts and the devil.

This week we go inside Hydebank Women’s prison as part of an innovative storytelling project that seeks to lower reoffending rates. But it also raises bigger questions about the nature of prisons and whether society is failing the women who end up inside. Audrey talks to Beverley Wall, Director General of the NI Prison Service and Tom Magill from ESC films who are delivering the project. Ahead of an appearance at the Belfast International Arts Festival, we speak to Bel Trew the Chief International Correspondent for The Independent about truth and compassion in reporting. And at the end of Book Week we speak to Quintin Oliver about the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie and also hear how he ended up accidentally buying a derelict Carnegie Library building in North Belfast.

This week is Book Week in Northern Ireland, and we begin the programme by looking at the bestselling and most distributed book the world has ever seen. According to the Guinness Book of Records the Bible has sold between 5 and 7 billion copies and has been translated into thousands of languages. But how do we read the Bible today. As the literal word of God, as fiction or as a myth where the story may not always be true it points to bigger truths about God and humanity. Audrey is joined by writer and teacher Andrew Cunning, theologian Tina Beattie and Anglican Priest Cameron Mack. We also speak to Ronnie Convery from the Archdiocese of Glasgow about plans to halve the number of parishes and close dozens of churches due to declining attendance and falling numbers of clergy. What is a Christian Nationalist? The thinktank Theos tried to answer that question by surveying the UK population and their report came out last week. Audrey talks to Andrew Flanagan the Director of Christians in Politics about how the church is engaging with Christian Nationalism. And finally as part of Book Week, we talk to historians Elaine Farrell and Louise McCormack about their book Bad Bridgets which is now being turned into a movie about Irish Women in America who ended up on the wrong side of the law.

Jeffrey Archer was a bestselling author with 300 million copies of his book sold around the world, but he was also a liar and a fraudster. His crimes eventually caught up with him and landed him in prison for two years. Audrey talks to journalist Michael Crick about the many lives that Jeffrey Archer lived and then we discuss the idea of celebrity redemption with commentator Liz Kennedy and Dr Leon Litvack. The Catholic Primate, Archbishop Eamon Martin is in Rome this week as part of a conference on the family with Pope Leo. He will tell us more about that and also his thoughts on how church leaders can help with the situation on the Garvaghy Road. It was three years ago this week that Hamas attacked Southern Israel killing almost 1200 people and unleashing a war in Gaza that killed tens of thousands more. Audrey talks to veteran peace negotiator Gershon Baskin about where things stand ahead of Israeli elections.

As the Drumcree standoff continues, we ask how much Northern Ireland has changed since the original confrontation decades ago. Audrey is joined by Professor Peter Shirlow, Director at the University of Liverpool's Institute of Irish Studies, Gladys Ganiel professor of the sociology of religion at Queen's University, author and pastoral worker Jim Deeds and Legal Project manager Tegan Nesbitt. As India celebrates the birth of Gandhi Audrey speaks to writer Mihir Bose about how his legacy has changed and how he is viewed in today’s India. And poet and broadcaster Pádraig Ó Tuama talks to Audrey about his new book Love Between Men.

If you were to listen to the people responsible for creating and developing Artificial Intelligence, you would conclude that it's the biggest danger to the planet - worse than climate change - when they tell us it might wipe out humanity in a decade and that work on it should stop. The biggest conference on AI on this island has been taking place in Belfast this week. And one of the keynote speakers was Nell Watson - she's an engineer, an independent researcher and one of the world's leading experts on the ethics of AI and she dropped in to chat to Audrey about ethics and machine learning. Does Prayer work? That's the question we're putting to Christian theologian Professor Laurence Kirkpatrick and Sr Geraldine Smyth. When is enough, enough? How about an economy that is designed for the health of people and the planet instead? What part can we all play in making this happen? Kristian Noll is a climate policy and knowledge exchange expert currently working in the London School of Economics. This week he launched a report based on a conference held at Queen's University on Earth Day. It's called 'An Economy of Enough in a time of crisis and opportunity'.

Broken relationships are a fact of life but how should we react? Should we forgive others or does there come a time when you need to draw a line under a relationship and move on. Audrey talks to Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, Jim Deeds and Dr Elaine Storkey about difficult conversations and the difference between reconciliation and forgiveness. We also talk to Vatican Correspondent Elise Ann Allen about her journey with her husband, John, as he faced terminal cancer before dying earlier this year.

As the far-right Alternative for Deutschland party wins 44 percent of the vote in Saxony-Anholt, Audrey talks to Jenny Witt- a journalist based in Hamburg- about what the result means for wider Germany. They also discuss what the Churches in Saxony Anhalt have been doing to help asylum seekers, and how that has brought them into direct confrontation with the AFD. Leadership is something that every organisation and company try to get right. But how different would things be if we all practiced Servant Leadership. We discuss the strengths and limitations with political commentator Alex Kane, theologian Peter McDowell and Professor of inclusive leadership at Birmingham Business School Joanne Murphy. Lord Peter Ricketts was the British government's chief civil servant in the foreign office and was the UK's first national security adviser. He talks to Audrey about his book Peace Makers: Shaping the Modern World, outlining the role played by Diplomats in World War 2 and what we can learn from that in an increasingly unstable world.

25 years on we remember the 9/11 attacks. BBC reporter Mark McCleary shares his memories of being in New York and then Audrey discusses the legacy and impact of 9/11 with Historian Dr Catherine Clinton, Human Rights Expert Professor Fionnuala Ní Aoláin and Commentator Rod Dreher. We also remember the Kentucky farmer, poet and activist Wendell Berry who died this week.

The country star dismissed religiosity but faith shaped her life and legacy. Audrey talks to songwriter and worship leader Philippa Hanna about the country star’s faith. Donegal Singer Margo O’Donnell used to visit Dolly’s homestead and looked out at the landscape that inspired their collaboration ‘God’s Colouring Book’. And Professors Joanne Murphy and Leon Litvack discuss how the singer broke many of the rules of celebrity, unflinchingly supported causes in a way that didn’t stoke division, and ask whether she is a rare example of authentic leadership. 25 years ago, Father Aidan Troy walked with the girls of Holy Cross Primary School as they passed protesters to reach the school building. He looks back on those days with Presbyterian colleague Rev Dr Norman Hamilton. What were the worst moments of those months of protest? Do they fear that a similar situation could arise again?

Journalist Liz Kennedy, Rabbi Jonathan Romain and Rev Chris Hudson join Audrey to discuss whether society now rushes to judge someone’s character when they die. The remarkable story of an Irish nun who joined the French Resistance and survived the Ravensbrück concentration camp. Father Martin Magill is about to take time out from parish ministry for renewal. Methodist minister Rev David Campton is recently back from a period of sabbatical. And author Susan Bennett parked life for a year to travel around Europe with husband Chris and Hans the Van to reassess her priorities. What advice have David and Susan for Fr Martin?

The Covid 19 pandemic disrupted every aspect of life: education, health, work… and religion. New research collates the experience of faith communities and how they engaged with the state. Have churches learned the lessons from the pandemic? Professor Gladys Ganiel coauthored the reports, and is joined in the studio by Rev John Alderdice (part of the Methodist Church’s response group), Dr Naomi Green (the assistant general secretary of the Muslim Council of Britain), and Father Tim Bartlett(who represented northern Bishops on the faith forum). Christopher Nolan’s epic film based on Homer’s epic Odyssey poem is enjoying box office success. The Guardian’s Charlotte Higgins tells why she fell in love with the poem as a teenager and considers how far modern moral sensibilities should influence the adaption of classics. And Sunday Sequence remembers Bryan Gallagher, whose distinctive voice and gifted storytelling delighted radio audiences. Father Brian D’Arcy reflects on the death of his friend and we listen back to Audrey’s conversation with Bryan back in 2020 when he reflected on his life and what he might change if he had the chance to do it again.

He is one of the best known faces of the Catholic Church in Ireland and now Bishop Donal McKeown is preparing to retire. He has been leading the Derry Diocese since 2014, before that he was Auxiliary Bishop of Down and Connor. He was born in Belfast 76 years ago and as well as his religious vocation, he has been a keen runner of marathons and a former Gaelic footballer too. But he's getting ready for a little bit of quiet and relaxation after decades of being on the front line of the Church's work. In this interview with Audrey Carville, he talks about his relief at the lifting of a burden of responsibility, his love for Derry, whether human connection is in jeopardy and if he can imagine a world without organised religion.

Tomorrow Andy Burnham will become Prime Minister but what kind of administration will he run? Growing up as a working-class Catholic in the North of England he says that Catholic Social Teaching had a big impact on his politics. Audrey talks to Professor Anna Rowlands from Durham University. So what is Catholic Social Teaching and how might it be applied to politics by the highest office in the land. Tonight is the World Cup Final between Argentina and Spain but how much of what we've seen over the past five weeks has been down to pure skills and strategy? Or is there a little bit of belief, a little bit of faith among the players too? We've seen many of them making the sign of the cross, raising hands of thanks to the sky, the Morrocco team dropping to the ground to pray after a win - a reminder that sport, glory and faith are inextricably linked in some people's minds. We talk to Rabbi Jonathan Romain and Gerard Gallagher about the links between faith and sport. Last month a series of devastating earthquakes struck Venezuela killing at least 4800 people and making tens of thousands homeless. Regina Lynch from Aid to the Church in Need has just returned and tells Audrey what she saw. And finally, we pay tribute to David Willey who was the BBC’s Rome and Vatican correspondent for 5 decades. He died this week at the age of 93.