EPISODE · Jun 25, 2025 · 28 MIN
The Vicar of Bray's Daughter
from Life Changing · host BBC Radio 4
In her early twenties Carol Cairns, the daughter of a priest in Ireland, had a passionate affair with a young bohemian poet called Benedict Ryan. In the Dublin of the 1960s, their improbable partnership burned bright but briefly. Somehow the gap in their backgrounds was too great. Not long after, life took her in a completely different direction. Shortly after her 70th birthday, while thinking of names for a grandson to be, she remembered Benedict. Where was he now? After a failed marriage, she used Skype to see if the flame still burned. Carol tells Dr Sian Williams about the emotional moment they reunited, after almost half a century.Producer; Tom Alban
What this episode covers
In her early twenties Carol Cairns, the daughter of a priest in Ireland, had a passionate affair with a young bohemian poet called Benedict Ryan. In the Dublin of the 1960s, their improbable partnership burned bright but briefly. Somehow the gap in their backgrounds was too great. Not long after, life took her in a completely different direction. Shortly after her 70th birthday, while thinking of names for a grandson to be, she remembered Benedict. Where was he now? After a failed marriage, she used Skype to see if the flame still burned. Carol tells Dr Sian Williams about the emotional moment they reunited, after almost half a century.Producer; Tom Alban
NOW PLAYING
The Vicar of Bray's Daughter
No transcript for this episode yet
Similar Episodes
Mar 31, 2026 ·54m
Mar 27, 2026 ·14m
Mar 26, 2026 ·1m
Mar 24, 2026 ·42m
Mar 20, 2026 ·42m
Mar 19, 2026 ·34m