Joe McKeown's life could have been very different.  He grew up in West Belfast during  the Troubles, and saw plenty of conflict, for a time joining in with the recreational stone-throwing when the army or RUC were there. Later he learned  that his grandfather - a demonstrably innocent man - had initially been branded as an IRA gunman after being shot and killed by a teenaged soldier. To one side, a justifiable casualty, to the other, a murder victim. Yet Joe chose not revenge, but peace and reconciliation, rooted in his Christian faith.  Joe now runs the youth service Youthlink - and he tells Diane and Will how his decision was simply "saying 'Yes' to possibility". 

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Ruth Garvey-Williams lives and works in the small Donegal town of Buncrana.  Yet despite living in what's often dubbed "Ireland's forgotten county", she and her family make a huge impact across the island and beyond.  Ruth helped found their church, edits a magazine, and serves with local and national groups tackling suicide, poverty, and immigration issues.  She works as leader, journalist, author, playwright and researcher.  And still she found time to join Diane and Will for a fascinating discussion on the joys - and the cost - of "ministering at the margins".

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Dr John Kyle has had 3 intertwined careers, as a GP, as a church leader, and as a local councillor.  Determined to make a difference for peace and reconciliation, he made a choice to join a party which raised a lot of  eyebrows.  He joined the Progressive Unionist Party (PUP), which had links with the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), and served with them on Belfast City Council for well over a decade.  But as Diane and Will discover, there's much more to John's story than that...

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Tim Magowan is a leader, a motivator, and an enabler.  Currently he's Executive Director at the 174 Trust on Belfast's Antrim Road.  But he's also a mentor and a dreamer, with a strong motivation to see change, justice and healing in our communities.  He has experience with organisations like Tearfund, Christian Aid, Corrymeela, and has been both probation officer and PR Executive.  Now he's involved with an initiative called "Circle of Change".  All that means reaching out, or as Tim explains to Diane and Will, he has to "lean out of my bubble."

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"Trust Martin, trust."  That's what Father Martin Magill thinks when he's looking to God for guidance on how to take the next right step for peace.  He's well-known as a campaigner and peacemaker.   In this first episode of a brand new series of Inspired to Act, Martin tells Diane and Will about growing up during the Troubles and how his life as a parish priest in West Belfast is been defined by his determination to make intentional steps for peace, and speak out against what needs to change.

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Series 3 of Inspired to Act is coming very soon! Diane and Will have already been in studio listening and learning.  Here's a quick reminder of just some of the great conversations we had in Series 2.

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Mark Houston, Director of The Link Family and Community Centre in Newtownards sits down with Diane and Will.  Mark's an engineer, a family man, and a musician, having been in bands with some remarkable names. He's also been plumber, pastor and peacemaker in communities with paramilitaries in their midst, and has learned much about knowing the battles to fight, and the battles to walk away from.

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"Peacemaking isn't easy" says Rev Tony Davidson as he tells Diane and Will about almost 30 years living and working in the city of Armagh, taking risks for peace.  He saw gradual changes in hearts and minds and finally peace did come.  Although there's always a cost, he wouldn't have it any other way. That's why Tony calls himself a "wounded healer".

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Darren O'Reilly really doesn't look like a monk.  Yet he's a member of a religious community in County Antrim, a "Brother".  He's also an experienced youth worker used to making connections and building relationships across many traditions.  He's a former academic with a love for studying theology.  As he tells Diane and Will, his own journey of Christian faith  is one of constantly joining up the dots...

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In the 1980s, the Rev Useni Sibanda flew home from his UK studies to Zimbabwe, not long after it achieved independence. A civil war was raging, and inflation was rampant.  You could easily hand over a trillion dollar note for just one egg.  Now Useni works with the Zimbabwe Christian Alliance, a Christian advocacy organisation addressing social, political, economic and humanitarian issues affecting the country's poor and vulnerable communities. What might we learn from a group which is never party-political, yet never afraid to speak truth to power? 

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In association with The Northern Ireland Community Relations Council