Best Pádraig Ó Tuama Podcasts (2025)

1
Pádraig Ó Tuama — Kitchen Hymns 54:05

13d ago54:05

54:05

Do you believe in God? It's not a question we ask often, and answering it stretches language — and belief itself — to its limit. Perhaps poetry is the best response! Meredith Lake speaks with Pádraig Ó Tuama at Sacrededge festival about his most recent book of poetry, Kitchen Hymns, which explores this question and more.…

1
Episode 38: Musician Gary Solomon: Dylan, The Band & Me 31:03

8h ago31:03

31:03

Singer/songwriter Gary Solomon was just 19 when he found himself in the crowd at The Last Waltz—The Band’s iconic 1976 farewell concert. Filmed by Martin Scorsese and widely considered the best concert film of all time, it was stacked with legends like Robbie Roberston, Bob Dylan, Eric Clapton, Joni Mitchell, Neil Young, Van Morrison, Muddy Waters,…

1
Peacemaking, counterpower and justice — Quaker Tim Gee 54:04

5d ago54:04

54:04

How might religious traditions animate the world's modern peace movements? What tools do they provide people working towards a more just and peaceful society?By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

2
Pod 303 - Sin 32:50

9d ago32:50

32:50

On 14 May, Belfast’s Black Box became a confessional where storytellers came for absolution: Fiona O’Neil torments her mother with toothpaste; Phil Simon believes he murdered his beloved grandad & Pat Scott questions her guilt after two attempts at murder. Paul is your host.By Tenx9

1
Parker J. Palmer: Everything Falls Away 1:16:03

14d ago1:16:03

1:16:03

"Sooner or later, everything falls away." With these words, author Parker J. Palmer begins his much-loved poem exploring the landscape of loss, grief and letting go. In this conversation, Parker reads the poem and reflects on the transient nature of reality and the great tapestry that holds all things together. Dom joins Parker in his living room i…

1
Spirituality at the edge — Sacrededge 2025 54:05

20d ago54:05

54:05

What does it look like to explore the sacred on the edges of traditional religion? Meredith Lake and Rohan Salmond visit the Sacrededge festival in Queenscliff, Victoria, an arts and spirituality festival that this year explores "Stories of the Edge: Listening to Story — Discovering our Own".By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Bonus Pod - Crush 8:00

24d ago8:00

8:00

Darcey Youngman told this story in March 2025 when the theme was Class. The audience in Belfast’s Black Box loved it.By Tenx9

1
Episode 92: Dorianne Laux, Singer 25:44

26d ago25:44

25:44

In this episode, we read and discuss "Singer," a narrative poem that celebrates the poetic speaker's mother in all of her complexity. Dorianne Laux is the author of numerous books of poetry, including Life on Earth, which was a finalist for the National Book Award, and Only As the Day is Long: New and Selected Poems which was a finalist for the Pul…

1
What does it mean to be liberated? Holocaust survivor Joe Szwarcberg 54:04

27d ago54:04

54:04

Eighty years ago on 11 April 1945, American soldiers marched into Buchenwald concentration camp and liberated the people they found there, including 14-year-old Joe Szwarcberg.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Episode 37: Sue Rodin: The Great Connector 39:48

27d ago39:48

39:48

1993, when Sue Rodin saw gender inequality in her workplace, she didn’t just get frustrated—she took action. Tapping into her network, she founded Women in Sports and Events (WISE), an organization built to support and elevate professional women in the sports industry. More than 30 years later, WISE is still going strong, with 25 chapters across th…

1
Pádraig Ó Tuama: The Room Next To Belief 52:44

1M ago52:44

52:44

Alongside being the title of Pádraig Ó Tuama's recently released collection of poetry, Kitchen Hymns is also an informal term referring to the hymns sung in Irish homes that weren't allowed in formal church contexts, due to their being in the Irish language rather than Latin. It is this rebellious and honest flavour of sacred expression that has be…

1
Big questions in books — Sacredness, enchantment and the apocalypse, from Narnia to Harry Potter 54:03

1M ago54:03

54:03

It's been 75 years since the publication of CS Lewis' novel The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. What's so enchanting about the worlds created in children's fiction — in Narnia, Middle Earth, or the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry?By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Pod 302 - English 30:45

1M ago30:45

30:45

What better way to honour St George’s Day than true stories on the theme English: Ciaran Gallagher wonders what England has ever done to Ireland; Anjali Kusurkar connects with the Irish nuns through English; Barney Gribbin wonders if his brother has gone full English. Paul is your host.By Tenx9

1
Episode 91: Joanne Diaz, Two Emergencies 24:40

1M ago24:40

24:40

In this episode, Katy Didden and Abram Van Engen discuss the extraordinary leaps, narrative disjunctions, and temporal frames that fill Diaz's extraordinary ekphrastic poem, a reflection on Bruegel's painting, "Landscape with the Fall of Icarus" written in conversation with W.H. Auden's poem "Musée des Beaux Arts." "Two Emergencies," appears in My …

1
The 'green' Pope Francis and his climate legacy in the Pacific 53:54

1M ago53:54

53:54

In the wake of Pope Francis' death, Australian and Pacific theologians reflect on defining elements of his legacy. Francis' 2015 encyclical Laudato Si was the first in papal history to focus on the environment. How might Francis' teaching about the cry of the earth, and the cry of the poor matter in our region?…

1
Nicaea — The conference that changed the world 54:06

2M ago54:06

54:06

At the Council of Nicaea 1700 years ago bishops from across the Christian world gathered to settle a theological showdown that rocked the fledgling religion: Who was Jesus — a perfect human? Or God himself? Or something else? What they decided would become the very foundation of the Christian faith itself, and would shape art, religion and culture …

1
Episode 90: N. Scott Momaday, The Delight Song of Tsoai-talee 20:23

2M ago20:23

20:23

This episode explores the incantation and mystic union of Momaday's famous delight poem, ending with a recorded recitation in his own rich voice. We explain anaphora and explore its power, and we trace the links and connections from one thought to the next throughout the poem. Special thanks to Universty of California Television (UCTV) for permissi…

1
Barbara Brown Taylor: Rediscovering Reverence 1:03:12

2M ago1:03:12

1:03:12

In the midst of our busy lives, we can so easily miss the sacred shining through every moment. Children are instinctively drawn to bewilderment and astonishment at the wonder of life, and yet it is a way of seeing that often fades as the rigours and responsibilities of adult life take over. Barbara Brown Taylor has been exploring the idea of revere…

1
Pod 301 - Going Strong Pt 2 33:10

2M ago33:10

33:10

To mark getting over 300 podcasts, here are three wonderful stories from the archives: Caroline Orr knows when a date is going nowhere; Brian Ammons falls in love for the first time but it goes nowhere; Louise Nealon meets 007 & it goes somewhere. Paul is your host.By Tenx9

1
The Sufi soundtrack to outback Australia 54:05

2M ago54:05

54:05

Sufism, also known as Islamic mysticism, can be found in all kinds of unexpected places — like Broken Hill, a rural town in far west New South Wales. Sufi music has a special place in the history of Central Australia, and is still played in the desert region, attracting attention and acclaim from Sufis throughout the world.…

1
Pod 300 - Going Strong 36:25

2M ago36:25

36:25

To celebrate Podcast 300, we’ve taken a deep dive into the tenx9 archive to 2017: Richard O’Leary makes two pilgrimages to Knock; Helen Killick was always too young for life; Pádraig Ó Tuama gets flustered by familial love. Paul is your host.By Tenx9

1
Episode 89: Pádraig Ó Tuama, excerpts from Kitchen Hymns 54:50

2M ago54:50

54:50

This episode was recorded on March 2, 2025 at the Phillis Wheatley Heritage Center in St. Louis., Missouri. In this conversation, Pádraig Ó Tuama reads several poems from Kitchen Hymns (Copper Canyon Press, 2024), his newest collection. We discuss subversive speech, belief and doubt, lyrical poetry, the psychology of poetic forms, and the power of …

1
Rob Bell: Grief, Guilt & Growth 1:20:07

2M ago1:20:07

1:20:07

What do we do with the weight of the past? We so often find ourselves clinging and grasping to that which has ended, getting stuck in self-loathing and judgement over that which we regret, or becoming too cautious and comfortable to step boldly beyond that which we have outgrown, leaving us struggling to live fully in the present moment and all tha…

1
Growing spiritually strong in Central Australia — Week with Students 54:01

2M ago54:01

54:01

Culture, history and faith collide in the remote Aboriginal community of Ltyentye Apurte. A former mission town 80kms east of Alice Springs, it remains one of the most Catholic communities in the country.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Episode 36b: Pádraig Ó Tuama: In the Shelter of Each Other & Saying Hello to the Questions (Rebroadcast) 31:42

2M ago31:42

31:42

This is a rebroadcast of episodes 6 & 7 from October 19, 2022. What power does poetry have to help us navigate the challenges of life? How do we approach art and how does it approach us? Join our guest host Diane Sims for a journey through these questions, and many others, with Pádraig Ó Tuama in an episode so big, we had to split it into two. In P…

1
Episode 36a: Pádraig Ó Tuama: In the Shelter of Each Other & Saying Hello to the Questions (Rebroadcast) 40:53

2M ago40:53

40:53

This is a rebroadcast of episodes 6 & 7 from October 19, 2022. What power does poetry have to help us navigate the challenges of life? How do we approach art and how does it approach us? Join our guest host Diane Sims for a journey through these questions, and many others, with Pádraig Ó Tuama in an episode so big, we had to split it into two. In P…

1
Big questions in books — Ancient Chinese poetry and the nature of existence 54:02

2M ago54:02

54:02

What can ancient Chinese poetry teach us about the nature of reality? Li Bai and Du Fu are considered two of China's greatest poets. They lived 1,300 years ago, yet their poems are still very popular to this day.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Pod 299 - Class 33:25

2M ago33:25

33:25

Three stories told at our brilliant March event in Belfast when the theme was Class: Bernie McDonald gets her heart broken twice; Stephen Magee applies practical measures to help his children with maths while Sharon Magee looks on & sees it very differently. Paul is your host.By Tenx9

1
Episode 88: Oksana Maksymchuk, Tempo 29:12

3M ago29:12

29:12

Oksana Maksymchuk joins us for a reading and discussion of "Tempo," a poem that explores the how war causes us to "whirl with / planets and stars that coil / around our fragile core." Oksana Maksymchuk is a bilingual Ukrainian-American poet, scholar, and literary translator. Her debut English-language poetry collection Still City is the 2024 Pitt P…

1
Exploring mercy and forgiveness in Ramadan 53:57

3M ago53:57

53:57

How much mercy do you see expressed in the world around you right now? Millions of Muslims around the world are observing Ramadan — known as the month of mercy — and follow the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad, who is described as someone who embodied mercy.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Rowan Williams: Holy Longing 59:55

3M ago59:55

59:55

While we may struggle to agree on the answers to life's biggest questions, we are all united in asking them. It is this shared questioning that binds us as humans, with each of us carrying a deep ache for something greater, something sacred and something real. Drawing on the wisdom of the Desert Fathers and Mothers, former Archbishop of Canterbury …

1
Bonus Pod - Cats & Dogs 11:15

3M ago11:15

11:15

In October 2024, Ann-Marie Foster told this story at the Black Box when the theme was Care.By Tenx9

1
Deep ecology and reconnecting with the natural world 54:06

3M ago54:06

54:06

How can we navigate the ecological crisis of our time? And why does it require a shift in how we think about ourselves? John Seed has been a rainforest activist for over 40 years. And over the decades he's fostered a diverse spiritual community around care for the environment and reconnection with the natural world.…

1
Pod 298 - Malawi Misadventure 37:00

3M ago37:00

37:00

Three amazing & dark true stories from recent tenx9 events: Lisa Graham’s family faces an African adventure; Fergal McGuckin faces the Beast of Belfast; Rosaline Callaghan is the Queen of the Castle. Paul is your host.By Tenx9

1
Episode 87: Monica Ong, Her Gaze 35:21

3M ago35:21

35:21

In this episode, Monica Ong joins us to discuss "Her Gaze," a visual poem that celebrates the achievements of astronomer Caroline Herschel. "Her Gaze" appears in Planetaria, Ong's new collection that merges archival materials with striking lyric poems. Monica Ong is the author of two books: Silent Anatomies, which was the winner of the Kore Press F…

1
Being the first female rabbi of Australia’s largest Jewish congregation 54:04

3M ago54:04

54:04

When Jacki Ninio first graduated rabbinical school she didn't want to be known as the "lady rabbi". But after nearly 26 years at Emanuel Synagogue, she says being a woman in a job mostly performed by men has allowed her to care for her congregation in unique ways.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Episode 35: Ellen Jovin & Brandt Johnson: Rebel(s) with a Clause 36:37

3M ago36:37

36:37

In their new film Rebel with a Clause, grammar guru Ellen Jovin and director Brandt Johnson head off on a road trip to all 50 states to show how comma fights, rather than divide, can bring us closer together. Join Roberta as they talk about the power of language, taking a grammar stand, and the New York Times bestselling book that started it all. T…

1
Denise Duhamel — How It Will End 17:02

3M ago17:02

17:02

Have you ever gotten consumed by watching a couple argue in public and trying to decipher what’s really going on between them? Denise Duhamel’s deliciously entertaining “How It Will End” offers us that experience. Come for the voyeurism, stay for the awareness it stirs up. Why are we so captivated by other people’s disagreements? And how can what w…

1
Pope Francis and the transformation of suffering 54:06

3M ago54:06

54:06

There's a lot of suffering in the world. From economic hardships to deep anxieties about politics, and the anxieties in our own lives. Much of Pope Francis' work grapples with how we suffer and relieve suffering, together. What kinds of insight can suffering offer, both individually and collectively?…

1
Iain McGilchrist: A Distorted Reality 1:29:36

3M ago1:29:36

1:29:36

What if the way our brains have evolved is inhibiting us from seeing reality as it actually is?This is the groundbreaking theory of renowned neuroscientist, psychiatrist and philosopher Dr Iain McGilchrist, whose research on the two hemispheres of the brain and the different ways in which they operate sheds a great deal of light on so many of the p…

1
Fady Joudah — [...] 12:55

3M ago12:55

12:55

Even though Palestinian-American Fady Joudah’s poem is sparingly titled “[...],” an ellipsis surrounded by brackets, this work itself is psychologically dense. Through crisp lines and language, it wrestles with the nature of human ambivalence — about things like fear, desire, disaster, liberty — and it finds certainty only in the shaky universal gr…

1
Pod 297 - Chemistry 34:55

3M ago34:55

34:55

Three hilarious stories told at our collaboration with the NI Sci Fest: Don Gregory chooses family over his dream job; Fionnuala Close shocks her mother into saying a rosary; Paul Brady discovers the joys of chemistry. Paul is your host.By Tenx9

1
Episode 86: Gwendolyn Bennett, I Build America 25:19

3M ago25:19

25:19

Gwendolyn Bennett was a poet, journalist, editor, and activist whose contributions helped to fuel the Harlem Renaissance. In this episode, we read "I Build America," a poem that exposes and critiques the exploitation and suffering of ordinary workers. To learn more about Gwendolyn Bennett, see Heroine of the Harlem Renaissance and Beyond: Gwendolyn…

1
Big questions in books — Dostoyevsky and the love that we owe 54:02

3M ago54:02

54:02

Our favourite, most enduring novels are full of things we ask ourselves about life and meaning. This week, we turn to Fyodor Dostoyevsky, and how the Russian literary tradition can help clarify questions about truth, love for one another, and ethics.By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Benjamin Zephaniah — To Michael Menson 12:52

4M ago12:52

12:52

Benjamin Zephaniah’s urgent, imperative “To Michael Menson” was written when he was a poet in residence at a human rights barrister in England. His poem resonates with his repeated calls for justice for a murdered Black musician — not a justice that is gullible, impotent, or hopeless but one that is clear-eyed, collaborative, and mighty. Benjamin Z…

1
Pod 296 - Lost in France 35:00

4M ago35:00

35:00

Three stories to beat the Winter blues told at Belfast’s Black Box: Melanie Bowden goes abroad but her dad pays the price; Joe Millican hears an intruder as he sleeps beneath the stars; Lorna Dunn knows something isn’t right despite the doctor. Paul is your host.By Tenx9

1
Seeking spirituality outside of religion 54:06

4M ago54:06

54:06

"Spirituality" is a loosely defined word, but Australians are increasingly identifying that way, especially among Gen Z. So, what does living a spiritually fulfilled life look like, and what kinds of spiritual help do people look for in times of crisis?By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

1
Carmen Giménez — Ars Poetica 15:16

4M ago15:16

15:16

Carmen Giménez’s poem “Ars Poetica” is a stunning waterfall of words, a torrent of dozens of short statements that begin with “I” or “I’m.” As you listen to them, let an answering cascade of questions fill up your mind. What does this series of confessions reveal to you about poetry? The poet? And yourself? Carmen Giménez is the author of numerous …

1
Alexander John Shaia: Recovering The Mystical 1:00:34

4M ago1:00:34

1:00:34

Karl Rahner once remarked that 'the Christian of the future will be a mystic or will not exist', and it is in this spirit that friend of the podcast Alexander John Shaia joins Dom for a conversation about recovering the mystical way of seeing today. Recorded in Granada, Spain, this episode explores how we can come to see the stories of our traditio…

1
Is rest the lost secret to a good life? 54:04

4M ago54:04

54:04

We all know that we need good rest. And before we knew about the science of sleep, sacred traditions encouraged rest as a priority. But the frenetic pace of modern life makes it difficult to pause. So how can we make rest a priority, and include it in our rhythms?By Australian Broadcasting Corporation

Podcasts Worth a Listen

Pádraig Ó Tuama Podcasts

Podcasts Worth a Listen