Immediate Future:

An Irish initiative. A world opportunity.

October 2nd is United Nations Day of Non-Violence. Make it more than just one day.

In 2006, the Irish Government was one of 30 national governments to sponsor a UN resolution making 2nd October 'UN Day of Non-Violence'. The day was chosen as it is the birth date of Mahatma Gandhi, one of history's foremost advocates of non-violence and peaceful alternatives to strife.

Irish Group 'Why Violence?' is hoping that, from 2009, 2nd October each year will become a focus on violence reduction, perhaps in the form of a festival, with events such as concerts, film screenings, exhibitions, lectures, workshops and debates. "Violence is the easy option. Non-violence, on the other hand, requires effort, patience and commitment. We are calling on people of influence and leadership to show their commitment to reducing violence in society by helping to make 2nd October a day to remember all year." Said Terry Gillespie, of Why Violence?

'UN Day of Non-Violence' presents an opportunity to focus on the message of violence reduction and the creation of a culture of peace, tolerance and understanding.

'Why Violence?' is the Violence Reduction campaign initiated by Irish Quakers, a society long associated with non-violence, peace and negotiation. Those involved, however, emphasise that the very essence of the campaign is one of inclusion and diversity.

"We are inviting organisations of all kinds to join with us, purely on the common agenda of non-violence and violence reduction." Said Irene Ní Mháille Why Violence?

Violence infuses every area of society, locally, nationally and globally. The obvious candidates like war, terrorism and murder grab headlines, while suicide, domestic violence, rape, violence on the sportsfield, bullying, gang warfare, intimidation, unprovoked attacks, anti-social behaviour and even gratuitous violence in entertainment, form a grim backdrop to what we describe as civilisation. This is the civilisation in which our children are growing and learning.

"We don't pretend to have the answer but we do know that doing nothing is unacceptable. That's why we are asking you to join us in making 2nd October 'UN Day of Non-Violence' more than just one day." Said Philip Jacob of Why Violence?

If you are a journalist, politician, trade-unionist, community organiser, company director, sports coach, church leader or anyone involved in an organisation with the voice, the resources and the commitment to make October 2nd into a day to remember all year, please express your support by contacting us at:

e-mail address. whyviolence at quakers-in-ireland dot ie

We will respond no later than 30th October, with a view to forming an action plan for 2nd October 2009, by 31st January.

For Further Information contact:

Terry Gillespie: 087 650 11 69

As Gaeilge - Irene Ní Mháille: 087-7564466

Philip Jacob: 01-284 5802

Recent Past

QUAKERS AND THE BIBLE

http://www.quakers-in-ireland.ie/events/nevkeery.html

Two open reflection meetings have been organised for Wednesday 1 October and Wednesday 5 November when local Quakers will address the topics Quakers and Worship and Quakers and the Bible. These will take place at 8 pm each evening and anyone interested is welcome to attend.

At the first meeting on 1st October, on the topic "Quakers and Worship", the speakers were Patricia Ni Choigligh and Adam Grennan. Neville Keery was in the chair.

Further information is available by telephone at 2780635; elsewhere in this Website there is much Quaker historical background.

ON HUMAN FOLLY

'What did you do when you realised greed was killing the world?'

As they reflect on slavery abolitionist John Woolman's 1772 walk from London to York, and the business affairs of Samuel Galton, Quaker gunsmith, two mature contemporary gents resolutely rise to the challenge of the millennium: saving the planet.

PLAIN QUAKERS is a non profit making theatrical partnership formed in 2007 by Mike Casey and Arthur Pritchard which aims to raise awareness of Quaker traditions and concerns. It is a project of High Flatts Quaker Meeting and receives financial support from the Joseph Rowntree Charitable Trust and Quaker Outreach in Yorkshire. From September On Human Folly will tour to meetings in Yorkshire and other parts of the country.

You can download and print a two-sided promotional leaflet, with picture on one side and text on the other.

PERFORMANCE DETAILS:

Friday 24th October 2008 at 7.30 p.m. Performances last 1 hour.

Assembly Hall, Friends' School, Lisburn followed by refreshments in Lisburn Meeting House.

All proceeds to Quaker Service.

Tickets £5.00 at the door or in advance from Ainda Andress Tel: +44(0)28 90 682347

The following review of an earlier performance was published in the Scotsman:

WISE people the Quakers. They got to grips with the concept of equality long before the rest of Western society, they've always prided themselves on their tolerance of other religions, and given the state of the world today you can't help feeling they might have a point with the whole pacifism thing.

This new play by Mike Casey and Arthur Pritchard, two former drama lecturers from Yorkshire, sets out to draw parallels between 18th-century attitudes to the slave trade and contemporary attitudes to global warming. That might sound like a somewhat tenuous link, but their logic turns out to be very sound indeed.

By focusing on the true story of the radical American Quaker John Woolman, who walked from London to York in 1772, talking some anti-slavery sense into the Quakers of Great Britain as he went, and then mixing in scenes in which two modern-day Yorkshiremen chew over the monumental problems presented by man-made climate change, the duo demonstrate that, then as now, we all have an inherent sense of right and wrong yet we often choose to ignore it.

The acting could perhaps be a little tighter, but there's something deeply satisfying about the rationality and sagacity of the script. Casey and Pritchard are accepting bookings for a tour to Quaker meetings in England during the winter. Perhaps groups of other religious persuasions - or none - might consider inviting them to perform as well.

On Friday 22nd August 2008 Cumann Staire agus Oidreachta ar Ring. (Ring Historical Society) commemorated the building, in 1848/9, of Ballinagoul Pier, Ring, Co. Waterford. To mark Heritage week, a plaque was unveiled in memory of Famine Relief in Ring and with gratitude to those who provided assistance to the Ring fishermen and their families at that time. Waterford Quakers and Joshua Wm. Strangman (our Waterford member) were acknowledged for their relief work along with Rev James Alcock and Dr Richard Graves.

Joshua Wm. Strangman was Hon. Sec of the Waterford Quaker Relief Committee and a member of the Central Relief Committee. He played a pivotal role in collaborating with Rev. Alcock to provide aid to the Ring fishermen and worked to get the pier sited and built at Ballinagoul.

At this ceremony (conducted in Irish) attended by both Joan and Roger Johnson, tributes were paid to Waterford Quakers for their valuable Famine aid at a critical time for the community.

During the ceremony it was it was generally acknowledged that the relief work came at a vital time and saved the Ring community from destitution. In particular, gratitude was expressed for the support and hard work that Joshua Wm. Strangman gave from 1847- 1849. Joan Johnson from the Waterford Quakers gave a talk on Waterford Quaker relief to Ring and StrangmanÕs collaboration with Rev. Alcock. She unveiled the plaque, sited on the pier, during the ceremony attended by over 60 people.

The public lecture 'Serving Palestine: A Spiritual and Personal Journey of Hope' was given by Joyce Ajlouny, Director of Ramallah Friends' School; this and selected other public functions are (projected to be) on record in the Archive, along with the Epistle.

Reflection Evening on the FWCC Triennial: 23rd November at Quaker House Dublin, arranged by Dublin Monthly Meeting Elders. Speakers included Jonathan Pim, Gillian Armstrong, Pauline Goggin and Neville Keery.

We hope to be able to produce synopses of what was said. Ed.

11th to 19th August 2007: The triennial gathering of Friends from all round the world took place in Ireland in August; see also a record of the Proceedings which is under development. Although this was not strictly a "public" event, the fact that Ireland had been chosen as the venue is exciting for Irish Friends and was of interest to many others. There are about 370,000 Friends in the world, of which less than 1,600 are in Ireland, and about 16,000 in Britain. (For more details of the world family of Friends on this website go to the World Family of Friends page of our introductory section.)

It took place at The King's Hospital School, Palmerstown, Co Dublin, and of the 325 who attendwd many were from among the substantial numbers of Friends that live in sub-Saharan Africa and in South and Central America.

The prime emphasis of the Triennial was on worshipping together, but getting to know Friends from other countries, and widening friendships also played an important part in the programme.

The theme of this Triennial meeting was "Finding the prophetic voice for our times" with a sub-text from 1 Corinthians 14.1 "It is love, then, that you should strive for. Set your hearts on spiritual gifts, especially the gift of proclaiming God's message".

A leaflet is available relating to the event, as a pdf file.

Quakers in Connaught: Life and work in Letterfrack and Newport

An illustrated lecture by Joan Johnson was given in Quaker House, Stocking Lane, Dublin 16 on Thursday 14th June 2007

There wase an associated exhibition in the Library.

(Organised by the Historical Committee of the Religious Society of Friends in Ireland)

Joan Johnson focused on aspects of Friends connected with Connaught, including Weavers in Newport; Mary and James Ellis in Letterfrack; Sofia Sturge and her basket factory; James H. Tuke - his work on assisted emigration.

Joan's interest in history began at Wesley College and extended to Irish Quaker history when she married into a Quaker family and came to be influenced and encouraged by Maurice Wigham.

Joan is a member of the IYM Historical Committee and of the National Archives Advisory Council. She wrote a chapter on Quaker famine relief in The Famine in Waterford (1995), and was responsible for and contributed to the re-publication of Transactions of the Society of Friends during the Famine in Ireland (1996). In 2000 she published, James and Mary Ellis, Background and Quaker Famine Relief in Letterfrack.

During the last 10 years she has given talks in Clifden, Letterfrack and Waterford. For over 40 years Joan and her husband Roger have been regular visitors to Clifden with their family of 5 children, enjoying holidays near Letterfrack in a family cottage on Errislannan.

Religion and the Other: Dublin Peace Committee - Third Seminar

A Day of Reflection, led by John D'Arcy May, Irish School of Ecumenics, at Quaker House, Stocking Lane, Dublin;

26 May 2007, 10.00am-4.00pm We intensify the Problem of relating to the 'Other' when the Other to be acknowledged, the Stranger to be welcomed, the Enemy to be reconciled, are religiously different from us.

Why is this? What gives religion its power to exacerbate conflict, but also to transform it?
What counts as 'religion' in general and 'a religion' in particular?
Is Religion a Western invention imposed on many other cultures?
Why does it still cause conflict and misunderstanding today?

The problem of religion as the putative cause of violence is one of the main reasons for rejecting religion as such. Why are non-Western perceptions, such as Buddhism, sources of violence too?

Does this make religion necessarily alien, or can religion still be home to very different people without alienating others whose spiritual homes are elsewhere?

See also earlier seminars in this series.

See also Dublin Peace Committee website: http://www.dublinquakerpeace.org (under development)

Yearly Meeting 2007: April 12-15 at Friends School, Lisburn.

The Yearly Meeting Public Lecture by Nancy Irving, General Secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation World Office, and selected other public functions, are on record in the Archive.

Dublin Monthly Meeting Peace Committee

Second seminar in a series dedicated to conflict resolution; full series record is accessible in the Archive.

'Power and the Other'

Saturday 24 February, Irish School of Ecumenics, 683 Antrim Road, Belfast, BT15 4EG

Speakers:

Dr Mahmoun Mobayed (psychiatrist, lecturing at Queen's University Belfast, Chair of NI Muslim Family Organisation and Chair of NI Interface Forum)

Martina Weitsch (Quaker Council for European Affairs, Brussels, Belgium)

Mannete Ramali (Ambassador of Lesotho)

Speakers approached the relationship of a minority group to a larger group and how they approach such a situation from their own experience and needs.

We hope to be able to archive the scripts. Ed.

Events in 2006:

Thursday 20th April to Sunday 23rd April 2006: Yearly Meeting of the Religious Society of Friends in Ireland, held at the High School, Rathgar, Dublin.

Members of the public were welcome to the Public Lecture "From Experience, What Can I Say?" which was given by Helen Haughton.

13th to 17th April - Junior Yearly Meeting at Moyallon Residential Conference Centre: Epistle.

Sunday 2nd April 2006: 3.15 pm Meeting for Worship at Quaker House, Stocking Lane, Dublin 16 to mark its official opening by the President Mary McAleese.

March 2006: The Moyallon Residential Conference Centre was completed. The first users was Junior Yearly Meeting in April, and bookings are open for May onwards.

January 2006: Richard Kimball of Galway Meeting organised the Ireland/Palestine Conflict Exchange as a contribution to creating the conditions in which the violence in Palestine could eventually be brought to an end.

The exchange ran from Sunday 8th of January until Saturday the 14th.

Recent Past: Events in 2005