It began with a suggestion from Quaker Eugene Dugan-Brause, of the John Hewitt Society, to Margaret Fraser, that Frederick Street Friends might open up their newly renovated Meeting House for an event at the North Belfast Festival.

This morphed quickly into an invitation to Frederick Street Friends to offer their own session at the festival. The meeting is a member of the North Belfast Heritage Cluster, a group of voluntary organisations that own or care for an historic building in the area. Very quickly the idea hatched of an event entitled ‘It happened at Frederick Street’, where Felicity McCartney, interviewed by Ian Kirk-Smith, described the initiatives that were birthed at the Meeting during the Troubles. 

The first response was in August 1969, when families whose homes in North and West Belfast had been firebombed sheltered in the old Meeting House. A range of multi-level responses by Quakers throughout Ireland and Britain followed. Initiatives included Quaker Cottage and prison work – set off as a separate charity, now called Quaker Service. The caretaker’s cottage at the new Frederick Street Meeting House became the home base for peace workers from the USA, Britain and Ireland. That work, modelled on ‘quiet diplomacy’ of the Quaker United Nations houses in Geneva and New York, later moved to locations close to Queens University. Felicity and a community worker colleague also set up the Centre for Neighbourhood Development, based in Frederick Street Meeting’s Institute building. 

From wondering if anyone outside the Meeting would come, Friends were delighted to hear that there had been 30 online bookings. Extra chairs had to be taken out of store as even more people showed up, and the final attendance was just over 60. 

                                                                                                                                                                                    Margaret Fraser (Frederick Street Meeting)