Rick talks with musicologist Barry Foy about the traditional Irish music "session" — when a circle of musicians comes together to play reels, jigs, and hornpipes in an Irish pub.

Rick talks with two Irish tour guides about their adventures helping Irish Americans trace their roots in the old country and about how other Americans with Irish ancestry can trace their families, too.

Rick talks with an Irish friend about his country's rich literary history, from W.B. Yeats to James Joyce to Samuel Becket.

Lord John Thomas Alderdice, who helped resolve Northern Ireland's long-standing "Troubles" between its Catholic and Protestant citizens, offers insight into the reasons that fuel conflict and provoke terrorist acts.

Rick chats with his Irish friend, Stephen McPhilemy, who shares a few yarns about Ulster and explains how the animosities among Northern Ireland's residents are starting to fade away.

Stephen McPhilemy, Ireland tour guide and hostel proprietor from Derry, gives Rick an insider's view of the most rugged and most Gaelic part of Ireland.