Ballitore is gearing up for several events on June 27 planned to commemorate the 200th anniversary of the death of Mary Leadbeater, née Shackleton.

Mary Leadbeater (December 1758 – 27 June 1826) was an Irish Quaker author and diarist who lived most of her life in the planned Quaker settlement of Ballitore, County Kildare. Her work the “Annals of Ballitore” is widely seen by scholars, academics and historians as being historically and culturally important.  Mary Leadbeater was related to the well known explorer Sir Ernest Shackleton. She is buried in the Quaker Burial Ground at Ballitore.

On June 27, the Ballitore Burial Ground Restoration Group will be erecting an information sign indicating the location of Mary Leadbeater’s grave. The unveiling of the sign will take place at 1pm. The group is also offering local schools and youth organisations an opportunity to take part in a guided tour of the Burial Ground before or after this event. To book a tour of the Burial ground text Quaker to 0872421249 .

There will also be a launch of the 200th commemorative edition of the “Annals of Ballitore” in the Ballitore Community Library and Quaker Museum at 2.00pm. The launch will feature an address by John McKenna, the well known author and playwright and expert on Mary Leadbeater.

Following the book launch, there will be an exhibition of contemporary art and crafts reflecting on the life of Mary Leadbeater at the Quaker Meeting House. This exhibition is hosted by The Thread Shed, a group of dedicated crafters who meet fortnightly at the Meeting House, and they will be providing tea and refreshments. Vintage dress (any era!) is encouraged with a prize for the best effort!

To help you find these events, the eircode for the Burial Ground is R14AK76, the eircode for the Ballitore Library is R14FP78, and the eircode for the Quaker Meeting House R14A212.

You can help spread the word using this flyer.

Those who went to Ireland Yearly Meeting 2026 may remember hearing Zack Jackson speak about Thee Quaker Podcast – a weekly podcast series produced in the USA.

While on our island, Zack gathered material for two episodes about Quakers in Ireland. The second of these is now available at the link below:

You can find out more about this podcast project, and see the full list of podcasts available, at the home page for Thee Quaker Podcast.

This Churchtown Coffee Morning will be given by Janice Johnston on Tuesday 2 June during 10.30-12.00.

You can find more information, including the Zoom link for joining online in this flyer. As usual, it will be possible to participate on Zoom, but note that this may not be interactive due to temporary technical difficulties.

You can find information about how some British Friends are putting their faith into action in the May 2026 BYM Faith in Action Newsletter. Be patient if it takes just a little while to download,

Those who went to Ireland Yearly Meeting 2026 may remember hearing Zack Jackson speak about Thee Quaker Podcast – a weekly podcast series produced in the USA.

While on our island, Zack gathered material for two episodes about Quakers in Ireland. The first of these is now available at the link below:

This first episode is a broad exploration of Quakers in Ireland that goes into a bit of history and some of things that Zack feels make Quakers in Ireland special.

Next week’s episode will be about Quaker peacemaking in Northern Ireland and will feature Felicity McCartney and Kate Campbell.

You can find out more about this podcast project, and see the full list of podcasts available, at the home page for Thee Quaker Podcast.

Ireland Yearly Meeting 2026, held at the Dominican Retreat Centre in Tallaght, Dublin, during 9-12 April 2026.

A report on IYM 2026 written by Fran Brady and Denise Gabuzda has been published in The Friend. You can find links to the article on our web page on reports on past Ireland Yearly Meetings.

The Struggle for Justice, Peace and Care for the Earth.

This webinar series will give participants an opportunity to learn from women leaders in the Americas about their interconnected struggles. Each week, a guest speaker will share for 40 minutes, followed by small group discussions and question and answer time. In all, each session will last about 90 minutes.

Four sessions have already taken place; the last two will take place on May 23 and May 30 starting at 2.00pm Irish time. There is no charge to participate.

For more information, including the full schedule of sessions, see this flyer.

This discussion with African and Irish-African leaders will be hosted by Harry McGee, Irish Times Political Correspondent.

The event will take place at the Royal College of Physicians on Kildare Street, Dublin 2 on Africa Day, Monday 25 May 2026, reception from 6.15pm.

You can RSVP to brid.mcgrath@oxfam.org.

This talk by historian Albert Perris illuminates the fascinating history Newlands House, once home to Lord Kilwarden, which was later occupied for a number of years in the mid-19th century by Joshua Jacob, the eccentric founder of the White Quakers, and his community of religious followers. The eccentric White Quakers (White Friends) embraced extreme simplicity and communal living. The talk will be held at Castletymon Library, Tallaght, Wed 27th May 6.30.p.m.

Albert Perris is a writer, blogger and regular columnist with The Echo newspaper. He is the author of two books relating to Tallaght, A Ramble About Tallaght-History, People, Places (2023) and Since Adam was a Boy – An Oral Folk History of Tallaght (1999). This talk is free but booking is required.

Book now at The White Quakers of Newlands Cross

The IYM 2026 Public Lecture by Brian Maguire, Events from the Real World, can now be viewed on YouTube at the link

IYM 2026 Public Lecture – Brian Maguire

This link and links to recordings and scripts of other IYM Public Lectures can also be found on the IYM Public Lectures page.