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