All posts by quakersireland

Online course: Unarmed Civilian Defence (Feb 2 – Mar 15)

This six-week online course addresses a central challenge facing societies today: What can unarmed civilians do when militaries attack, invade, or occupy their communities? What real alternatives exist beyond fighting back with violence?

The course requires 3-6 hours per week. The cost is on a sliding scale from $25 to $100, or more if you can afford it.

You can find more information in this flyer or on the course website.

Executive Director for Quaker Service announced

The Chair of Quaker Service, Elizabeth Dickson, has informed the IYM Office in Dublin that Alexey Janes has been appointed as the new Executive Director of Quaker Service.

Alexey joins the charity having spent 36 years working at all levels within the voluntary and community sector in both Scotland and Northern Ireland. For the last 10 years he has worked for Ulster Wildlife as their Community Engagement Manager. His qualifications include a Postgraduate Diploma in Youth and Community Work from the University of Ulster and a level 7 ILM qualification in Leadership and Management.

Alexey’s work experience includes leading youth and community development programmes in North Belfast and previous leadership of two Northern Ireland wide charities – The Young Farmers Clubs of Ulster and the Reminiscence Network NI. Outside of work Alexey is kept busy as a foster carer and indulging his interests in nature and traditional woodland crafts.

Alexey will take up his position in February and is looking forward to working with staff and volunteers and all those served by the charity.

Public Silent Quaker Peace Witness (Saturday Feb 14)

Dublin Monthly Meeting Peace Committee plans to hold another Silent Quaker Peace Witness on Saturday Nov 8 from 11.30am to 12.30pm, outside the gates of St Stephen’s Green at the top of Grafton St, Dublin.

The format will be a one hour silent Meeting for Worship.  We will have the usual banner, which reads “Quaker Peace Witness”,  and we will leaflets to give anyone who shows interest.

Friends from all Meetings, and their friends, are once again very welcome.

Thanks

Sean Kinsella, Dublin MM Peace Committee

Open Mic Event at Eustace Street Meeting House (21 Feb)

Eustace Street Friends, together with DMM Communications/Outreach Committee, invites Members, Attenders, families and friends to the first in a series of Open Mic events.

The event will start at 2.30pm with lunch – you should bring your own lunch (and maybe something to share). Tea/Coffee and cake/biscuits will be provided.

The Open Mic event itself starts at 3pm –
With a maximum time limit of up to 7 minutes for each person,
you are invited to share your poetry, storytelling/prose, spoken word.

The theme for the event is SIMPLICITY

As it would be helpful to know in advance the number of speakers,
please email QuakerOpenMic@gmail.com to book your spot.
We hope to accept speakers on the day but to ensure inclusion, please email in advance.

You can help spread the word among Friends, friends and family using this open-mic flyer.

Young Adult Friends Gathering: A Time to Listen to the Inward Voice of Love (12-16 Aug)

Below is a letter from Matt Rosen of Ohio Yearly Meeting about this Young Adult Friends Gathering coming up in August.

Dear Friends,

We’re writing to share news of an upcoming international gathering of Young Adult Friends, to be held at Jordans Friends Meeting House, near Beaconsfield, UK, from 12–16 August 2026. This follows gatherings held in 2024 and 2025, whose epistles can be found here

In the midst of a difficult time and a hurting world, we sense that there is life and light in earnestly seeking guidance from a power beyond ourselves. At our gathering last year, we experienced this power as an Inward Voice of Love, and often felt Christ’s presence in and among us. In coming together, we found the sensitivity to listen together to the Divine Voice, and the trust and the strength to follow the Companion who is with us always. We invite you to join us in this experience, as we are gathered by the Spirit.

You can fill out this form to express your interest in joining us, and we will share more information and how to register in the coming months. We hope you will consider whether the Spirit is laying this on your heart.

We need your help to make this gathering possible! We plan to make use of the youth hostel near Jordans but need funding for that, as well as for meals and travel bursaries for Friends coming from further away. Please consider whether you or your meeting can support us

We are also providing a flyer for the gathering. Please share this with any young adult Friends who might feel a nudge to join us. 

in the Love that draws us together, 

Matt Rosen, Ohio Yearly Meeting

on behalf of the gathering planning committee

Share your Spiritual Journey with others at Junior Yearly Meeting!

Junior Yearly Meeting (JYM) is a gathering of young Friends and any young people interested in Quakerism in Ireland aged 14-18. We come together to meet, discuss, debate, learn together and connect with each other. And have lots of fun!

JYM 2026 will be held 2-6 April 2026 at the Moyallon Centre near Portadown. The theme will be “Who am I? Journeying as a Young Friend”. You can find some more information, including who to contact for additional info, on this poster. We’ll be keeping the JYM section on the IYM website up to date too, as more information and application forms become available.

Talk on the Early Quaker Message (Jan 11)

This talk given by Charles Lamb at the Cork Meeting House at 12.30 pm on Sunday 11th January will consider the seeking of George Fox and Elizabeth Hooton in the 1640s, the early message of Friends/Quakers, its roots, fruits and testimonies, including the Peace Testimony.

It will be possible to listen to Charles’ talk online, using the usual Zoom link for Cork Meeting for Worship.  If you’d like to attend the talk online and don’t have the link, please email corkmonthlymeeting@gmail.com and it will be sent to you. If you do join online, please plan on connecting with the Zoom link about 5 minutes early, so there will be time to resolve any Zoom problems before the talk starts.