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ALL WALKS OF LIFE

All Walks of Life Image Name: All Walks of Life Description: All Walks of Life Episode 2 Friday January 24th Mary McAleese and Dr. Sindy Joyce Copyright: RTÉ 2019

Former President Mary McAleese brings a fascinating and diverse selection of people from All Walks of Life on spiritual journeys along some of Ireland’s most stunning and ancient pilgrim trails. Tapping into her own sense that Irish spirituality is uniquely rooted in our landscape, the former President talks to her walking companions about how life has shaped their values and beliefs (or lack of them), and how, in turn, those values have shaped their lives.

SINDY JOYCE: Friday 24th of January 2020, RTÉ One, 8.30pm

Dr Sindy Joyce grew up on a halting site in Wales and is the first traveller – or minceir, to use the term she prefers– to be awarded a PhD and to be appointed to the Council of State, battling and challenging discrimination all the way. She joins Mary to walk the stunning Cosán na Naomh in Co. Kerry.

This Cosán na Naomhpilgrim route from Ventry towards Mount Brandon started in the 6th century after Brandon the Navigator reputedly ousted a pagan deity from the Holy Mountain.  The Path of the Saint was one of the first paths to be developed, with the help of local people and lands owners, and is now more popular than ever with walkers of all faiths and none.

As Sindy Joyce and Mary McAleese head off on their pilgrimage from Ventry Strand, Sindy tells Mary about living in a caravan in rural Ireland as a teenager. ‘It was a lovely place. My father used to bring us picking mushrooms. I wouldn’t change it for the world, it made me who I am today. You can do without modern services and technology, but you can’t do without nature.’

Few travellers go on to third level education, but Sindy’s thirst for learning started at a young age. ‘My father was always there with newspapers in his hand, so he got us to read for him. While other kids were learning The Little Red Riding Hood, I was reading newspapers, so it just made sense that I became a sociologist.’

As they come to the end of their pilgrimage in Kerry, Sindy tells Mary that she will pass on her minceir traditions to the next generation. ‘I will teach them their history, identity and culture and to be proud of that. To stand with their head held high, and not be ashamed and to challenge the society that discriminates against them.’