The Meaning of Life is now firmly established as one of RTÉ’s most enduring and iconic television interviews. Throughout the show’s long history, some of the world’s most high-profile artists, thinkers and leaders have agreed to be interviewed about the big questions in life: their life’s purpose, their faith (or lack of it), and how their own personal and professional experiences have shaped their philosophy and outlook on life.
In his second season at the helm, presenter Joe Duffy invites eight more public figures to look back at their own lives and careers, and to reflect on how their life’s journey so far has shaped the person they are today.
In the final episode of the series, Ardee native and EU Commissioner Mairead McGuinness opens up about her childhood, family and career to date and the events that have shaped her philosophy and outlook on life. From her childhood home burning down to her choice at 17 to switch from pure science to Agricultural Economics in UCD to the decision in her 40s to make the leap from journalism into politics, she looks back at the key turning points in her life – and how they’ve helped to define the person she is today.