Pilgrimage; Segregated Education in Northern Ireland; An Emperor in Bath

Pilgrimages are having a moment, with new paths in Scotland, around Durham and between the Cathedrals of England. The famous international ways from Camino de Santiago and Via Francigena have risen massively in popularity too, stalled only by the pandemic. We'll hear the highs and lows of our listeners' pilgrim tales and discuss the attraction with travel writer Sarah Baxter. Just what is it about walking for days on end that works for people and do you have to be religious to benefit?This week Northern Ireland marks the centenary of the state’s foundation after the partition of Ireland. The anniversary comes just weeks after renewed sectarian tensions. After the recent violence, the Irish President Michael D Higgins said education separated along Catholic and Protestant lines can no longer be justified - 93% of schoolchildren in Northern Ireland are separated by faith. We'll be talking to the headteacher and a parent from a school that will be one of the first to teach protestant and catholic children side by side, starting in September. And Emily will discuss what is holding Northern Ireland from ending segregated schooling with Baroness May Blood and the Catholic Bishop of Derry Donal McKeown.And Emily finds out how the genteel town of Bath, often described as something straight out of a Jane Austen novel, reacted when the Emperor of Ethiopia came to live amongst them in the 1930s. Bath is beginning a six month festival celebrating the man who was not alone an emperor, but leader of the Ethiopian Orthodox church and to some members of the Rastafari movement, is considered the returned Messiah of the Bible. Emily talks to academic and film maker Dr Shawn Sobers about the warm welcome he got in Bath in spite of the conservatism of the time.