{"podcast":{"title":"The Ireland Podcast","slug":"the-ireland-podcast-6592574","podcast_index_feed_id":6592574,"rss_url":"https://feeds.acast.com/public/shows/64e340adddadb00012365278","website_url":"https://shows.acast.com/the-ireland-podcast","image_url":"https://assets.pippa.io/shows/64e340adddadb00012365278/1693559531557-a3e429011c16709063a495507115d15b.jpeg","author":"Salthill Media","episode_count":231,"summary":"About the Podcast The Ireland Podcast is a long-form interview series creating space for unhurried conversation about life on the island of Ireland and beyond. The Conversations Hosted by Fender Jackson and produced by Salthill Media, the podcast centres on listening rather than argument. Each episode features a single guest and allows time for reflection, context, and experience to emerge naturally. Guests include artists, musicians, writers, athletes, broadcasters, historians, and cultural figures whose work or perspective offers insight into place, memory, and lived experience. There is no political or religious agenda. The podcast does not seek to persuade, promote, or argue a position. Instead, it exists as a space for careful dialogue, where complexity is allowed and difference is approached with curiosity rather than confrontation. The Host Fender Jackson grew up in Ulster and later lived in England and China before returning to Ireland and settling in Galway, where most episodes are now recorded. These experiences inform a listening-led, exploratory approach shaped by distance as well as proximity, and by an awareness of how place, movement, and memory intersect. Approach…","last_synced_at":"2026-07-29T06:19:48.107666+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ireland-podcast-6592574"},"episode":{"title":"199. Fr Bernárd Lynch: Priest, Author & Activist","slug":"199-fr-bern-rd-lynch-priest-author-activist","published_at":"2025-11-12T05:30:00+00:00","page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ireland-podcast-6592574/199-fr-bern-rd-lynch-priest-author-activist","show_page_url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ireland-podcast-6592574","url":"https://shows.acast.com/the-ireland-podcast/episodes/199-fr-bernard-lynch-priest-author-activist","audio_url":"https://sphinx.acast.com/p/open/s/64e340adddadb00012365278/e/6913c50ddac02c1fcfcb7ba0/media.mp3","summary":"Born in Ennis, County Clare, Fr. Bernárd’s journey began in the traditional Ireland of the 1940s, shaped by school, family, and faith. But his path soon led him far from the familiar - from the seminary in Dromantine, Newry, to ordination in Newry Cathedral, and then on to the missionaries in Africa and the turbulent streets of New York in the 1970s, where he found both his calling and his true self. In a conversation with Fender Jackson, they talk about forgiveness, angels, and the arrogance of certainty. Fr. Bernárd explores his belief that Catholicism is the last pagan religion in the West, and his sharp critique of Bible bingo interpretations of Leviticus. Fr. Bernárd speaks candidly about discovering he was gay, ministering to the AIDS community at the height of the crisis, and facing the crushing pressures of faith, sexuality, and truth - including false allegations, expulsion from New York, and eventually becoming the first Catholic priest in the world to have a same-sex marriage. It’s a story of defiance, compassion, and perhaps, time travel - an extraordinary conversation with one of Ireland’s most fearless and fascinating priests. Links https://www.frbernardlynch.com/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.","meta_description":"Born in Ennis, County Clare, Fr. Bernárd’s journey began in the traditional Ireland of the 1940s, shaped by school, family, and faith. But his path soon l…","key_points":[],"chapters":[],"topics":[],"duration_seconds":3954,"processing_state":"not_requested","actions":[{"name":"request_transcript","method":"POST","url":"https://stenobird.com/v1/public/podcasts/the-ireland-podcast-6592574/episodes/199-fr-bern-rd-lynch-priest-author-activist/transcription-requests","description":"Idempotently request low-priority transcript generation for this episode."},{"name":"read_markdown","method":"GET","url":"https://stenobird.com/podcast/the-ireland-podcast-6592574/199-fr-bern-rd-lynch-priest-author-activist.md","description":"Read the agent-friendly Markdown representation of this episode resource."}]}}