PÁDRAIG Ó TUAMA on Finding Uncommon Ground /135

complex layers of history with acute insights into the lingering impacts of imperialism and sectarianism that have divided Ireland. By acknowledging deeply rooted cultural pain, Pádraig calls for Irish, English, and the rest of us to heal by reckoning with the past and embracing the creative potential held within our differences. Pádraig’s work has been embodied by serving as a leader at Corrymeela, Ireland’s oldest peace and reconciliation organization, where disagreement is a meeting ground for togetherness.

In this interview, Pádraig exposes the wounds of colonization, famine, the partition of Ireland, and The Troubles, while illustrating today’s challenges to Irish sovereignty that have resurfaced with Brexit. To Pádraig, land and language form the bedrock of culture, both equally vulnerable to colonization that severs the fabric of communities; language also offers the promise of healing from conflict if we are to revive our connections to the land and to each other. Pádraig Ó Tuama’s work centres around themes of language, religion, conflict and art. Working fluently on the page and with groups of people, Pádraig is a skilled speaker, teacher and group worker. His work has won acclaim in circles of poetry, politics, religion, psychotherapy and conflict analysis.