The Meaning of Life with Gay Byrne

Gay Byrne talks to action film hero Colin Farrell, who speaks of topics such as his father and his addictions, as well as what has shaped his beliefs about faith, spirituality and the bigger questions about life.

Interview with Sinn Féin President Gerry Adams, who spoke of the process of concluding resentment, indignation or anger as a result of a perceived offence, difference or mistake, and ceasing to demand punishment or restitution, the great unknown, Final Judgment and how his beliefs have affected his life as a republican.

Maeve Binchy, who speaks of losing her beliefs as a Roman Catholic during a journey to Jerusalem as a young adult, describing it as "the Road to Damascus experience in reverse".

Ronan Keating, who was described by Byrne as "a revelation" after the episode. Keating speaks of his disagreements with his manager Louis Walsh, the death of his mother from cancer and the Marie Keating Foundation which resulted.

Sinéad O'Connor, who speaks of her views about the deity of her belief system and how this affects her artistic output.In this interview, she talks at length about the difference between God and Religion: many religions seem to want to “hold God hostage” and do all sorts of unspeakable things in his name – violence, prejudice, exclusion, etc. Although she says she has a strong personal relationship with Jesus, she says it doesn’t really matter to her whether he existed as a human being, as portrayed in the Gospels. To her, Jesus’s significance is spiritual, not historical.

Writer and filmmaker Neil Jordan states his view that life continues after the permanent termination of the biological functions that define a living organism. Jordan recalled his father telling him he would return after death and their subsequent post-death encounter during a stormy fixed-wing aircraft flight.