Cavan mum and son feature in RTÉ doc
Cootehill mother and son Ann Keenaghan and Ruairí McKiernan are among the people featured in an RTÉ documentary exploring religion, spirituality and secularism in modern Ireland. Following a hugely positive response to its first television airing in June, The Divorcing God documentary aired for a second time on RTÉ One this week (Tuesday, December 10th).
Among those interviewed is Ann Keenaghan. Ann previously worked in the Bank of Ireland in Cootehill and in the Money and Budgeting Advice Service (MABS) in Cavan town and is well known throughout the county. In recent years she relocated to Spiddal in Co. Galway and began a new life working in the area of holistic healing. They are interviewed by comedian and journalist Oliver Callan on the topics of religion and belief.
Two years ago, on a flight to China to visit her son Seán Óg, Ann got chatting to a Chinese man who was seated beside her. It turned out that the man, Dr Shaofan Zhu, was a world-renowned doctor and master of the ancient Chinese practice of Qi Gong. Ann became immediately interested in Qi Gong, having already studied Kinesiology, which is based on traditional Chinese medicine. Qi Gong is a holistic system of body postures and movement, breathing and Taoist meditation. So began her journey to learn more and train to become a Qi Gong instructor.
Ann has brought Dr Zhu to Ireland several times to deliver workshops in Qi Gong. She says there’s huge interest in Qi Gong among people of all walks of life, which she says is driven in part for an appetite for spiritual connection.
“Qi Gong can bring your energy into balance if you keep doing it, and can bring you into wellness,” she tells Oliver Callan in the one-hour documentary.
“By the time you finish doing all the movements while paying attention to your body, your mind becomes calm. It has been passed down in China for thousands of years and has played a huge role in keeping the Chinese healthy” she adds.
Ann’s son Ruairí McKiernan also features in the Divorcing God documentary. Ruairí is a charity founder and social campaigner who recently completed a 7-year term on the Council of State. He has also been a practitioner and advocate of meditation and mindfulness for over a decade and previously contributed an essay on their benefits in Sr Stan’s book 'Seasons of Hope'.
He says a sense of spirituality is an important part of life for him and that this doesn’t require a belief in any particular religion.
“Something is missing in the realm of the soul. In some ways, the dominant religion now is the religion of the market, the religion of capitalism, the altar of consumption, money, image, fame, success.” Ruairí says in the documentary.
“There’s a lot of dysfunction, disease, loneliness, depression, suicide, and something is not right. I see people exploring Eastern traditions and pre-Christian traditions and maybe there’s a beautiful thing to emerge from the convergence of east and west.
“Life is evolving, belief is evolving, and we need to be brave enough to evolve with it.”
Divorcing God also hears from a variety of voices with different views on religion and spirituality. These include atheists, academics, and a survivor of clerical abuse.
Divorcing God is available to watch on the RTÉ Player.