Denise C. Gabuzda, Cork Meeting

More than 100 Friends attended Ireland Yearly Meeting 2025, which took place during 25 – 27 April at Friends School Lisburn, Northern Ireland, and online. The sessions explored the theme “A Learning Community”. 

It was appropriate to meet at Friends School Lisburn, which recently celebrated its 250^th anniversary. Representatives of Friends School Lisburn, Newtown School Waterford and Drogheda Grammar School brought us up to date on their programmes and activities, and helped us understand what Irish Friends can do to support these schools.

We heard about the charitable work of Quaker Service in North Belfast, and projects around the world supported by Irish Quaker Faith in Action. Describing a recent visit to the Ramallah Friends School, Michael Eccles (Executive Secretary of the Europe and Middle East Section of FWCC) emphasized the importance of listening in building trust.

Other presentations touched on Quaker work being carried out in Europe. Loretta O’Brien informed us about the Quaker Council for European Affairs programmes on Migration and Peace, Climate Justice and Peace and Dialogues for Transformation; and Sophie Naeye and Lindsey Fielder-Cook told us about recent work in the Geneva Quaker United Nations Office’s programmes on Peace and Disarmament, the Human Impacts of Climate Change, Human Rights and Refugees and Sustainable and Just Economic Systems.

Alison Tarpey-Black described the Local Development Worker (LDW) programme being run by Britain Yearly Meeting. The programme aims to support Meetings, helping them thrive as lively and loving communities. The LDW’s are based at various locations around Britain, with an LDW now within reach of every Meeting in BYM. Alison related stories of Meetings that had become more vibrant by having the confidence to innovate – for example, changing their meeting time from Sunday morning to another time during the week or becoming more engaged with active outreach. Our Meeting communities are encouraged to remain open to New Light, from wherever it may come.

Emily Provance of New York Yearly Meeting provides an inspiring example of a modern-day Quaker traveling in the Ministry in a way very similar to early Friends – traveling from Meeting to Meeting with no more baggage than a rucksack. Her sojourns have given Emily a unique perspective on the wide variety of Meetings in the Quaker world, some called to shrink, some to grow, and some to do both. She called on us to “only do separately what we cannot in conscience to together”, stressing that “what we can learn from one another is how to be a better people”. Emily made a heartfelt plea for Irish Friends to consider what they can do to help and support American Quakers in these troubled times, drawing from the unique history, peacebuilding experience and diverse theologies within Ireland Yearly Meeting.

The Public Lecture was given by James Nelson, on the theme “Quakers, learning and education – using the future to rethink the present”. James discussed different ways of thinking about the future and how they impact our actions and decisions in the present. He challenged the assumption that school education must inevitably separate us – according to perceived intelligence, class, religion – rather than draw us together. In our Meetings, we have a responsibility to help each other to learn to discern the Truth. James referred to mystery and wisdom as two precious embers that keep our fire alight.

True learning should be transformative, and we must seek the courage to step through a doorway into a new way of being.

Creative sessions organised and led by Young Friends fostered a companionable, light-hearted, informal atmosphere that enabled Friends to discuss complex topics in an open and non-confrontational fashion. 

A Sustainability Policy was adopted by Ireland Yearly Meeting, which will make it easier for those carrying out various activities on behalf of the Society to do this in as sustainable a way as possible. This will have an impact across a range of areas, such as travel, purchasing and organisation of events.

Like other Quakers around the world, Irish Friends are challenged by the ongoing conflicts taking place in the Middle East, Europe, and other parts of the world. Special discussions are planned for later this year, in which we will work together to discern what we are called to do, ensuring that our actions manifest  Love that embraces all involved.