S08 E14: Stories For the Sake of Stories with Pádraig Ó Tuama

Michael McRay sits down with his longtime friend Pádraig Ó Tuama, the Irish poet, theologian, conflict mediator, and storyteller who has profoundly shaped Michael's approach to narrative intelligence over their decade-long friendship. Their rich conversation explores the delicate balance between fostering empathy through story while recognizing that mandatory empathy rarely works. Pádraig shares how his work in communities with people from both sides of the Irish border taught him that storytelling isn't inherently good - it's power that can either liberate or control. He also reflects on his years leading Ireland's oldest peace and reconciliation organization, and discusses the origins of Tenx9, the community storytelling night he co-founded in Belfast. In this episode, they also discuss: How stories reveal hidden layers and deeper truths when we resist the urge to explain their meaning Why "some people's theories are other people's traumas" serves as a reminder that our ideas always land somewhere on someone's body The recognition that most people do what seems reasonable to them at the time, and how this perspective can foster empathy How "the author of the story cannot control a story's power to reveal" Terrence Tilley Coming Up Soon STORY 2025 - Oct. 9th and 10th in Nashville, TN at the Schermerhorn (use code PODCAST100 for $100 your ticket!) Resources Mentioned Pádraig Ó Tuama Specifically mentioned In the Shelter: Finding a Home in the World Poetry Unbound Podcast (with On Being Studios) Tenx9 Storytelling Community Join The Circle Applied Narrative Intelligence Certification

You can listen to S08 E14: Stories For the Sake of Stories with Pádraig Ó Tuama online on Radio and Podcast. Open the player on this page to stream the available audio.

S08 E14: Stories For the Sake of Stories with Pádraig Ó Tuama is an episode from STORY Podcast by STORY.

This episode is 61:51 long.

This episode was published on Jul 29, 2025.

Yes. Use the heart button on the episode page to add it to your favorite episodes list.

Yes. This page shows related episodes from STORY Podcast when more episodes are available from the podcast feed.