Joseph Williams and 1798

The experiences of Quakers in 1798 are of particular interest in view of their refusal to take up arms and to destroy any that were in their possession.  Joseph Williams was born in 1775 at Randall’s Mill which lies between Wexford town and Enniscorthy.  In 1867, the year before he died, he told Anna Peet, a Waterford Quaker, of his experiences in the year of the Rising, when he was 23 years old.  Anna made at least two copies of her transcript of Williams’s reminiscences.  The text of the first was published in 1905 in The Friends’ Historical Journal.  The second manuscript was found recently by Jennifer Keogh who is a descendant of one of the neighbours mentioned by Joseph Williams.

New Booklet

Jenny does voluntary work on the Quaker archives in the Friends Historical Library in Dublin and her colleagues decided to publish a new edition of the story as one of the Library’s Occasional Papers.  She had visited the old mill, found Joseph Williams’s burial place and met a number of people with an interest in the tale.  This has resulted in a 12-page booklet with a contemporary and very personal account of what it was like to be both a spectator and a neutral but far from inactive participant in the hostilities.  Quakers at the time gave what help they could to the victims of the struggle, whichever side they represented.

Buy a Copy

Joseph Williams: Recollections of the Rebellion of 1798 is available for €3.50 (including postage) from Historical Library, Quaker House, Stocking Lane, Dublin 16.

Christopher Moriarty

What in the World are Quakers ? by Margaret Frazer at Moyallon Centre, Northern Ireland MoyallonWeekendProgramme

To Friends everywhere,

Dear Friends,

We send you greetings from Ireland Yearly Meeting met in Kings Hospital School, Dublin from 28th April to 1st May 2011.

‘Let your life speak’ was the theme for this Yearly Meeting. We were challenged to allow ourselves to live adventurously, enabling our gifts to be used for the service of God and the community. The summary of the Yearly Meeting Epistles from around the world encouraged us in this and gave us a feeling of being united with Friends from many different places.

As we began to move through the Yearly Meeting sessions, various speakers gave us examples of outreach in their communities and this suggested an underlying message that our outreach begins from our presence in a place.

The Meeting House is the obvious starting point for outreach. It is the physical evidence of our presence in the community. It is an invitation to those who might pass by, to linger a while and perhaps come amongst us. It is often the first point of contact and it is the manifestation of home for those who stay.

Our outreach is not measured by increased numbers but by increased dialog and communication but we cannot expect to go unchallenged; indeed we must not only face the challenges, but invite them. Outreach requires us to listen, as well as to speak and help can come from unexpected quarters but we must be open to receive it.

We are called to be Friends, showing the mark of Christ as we go about our daily lives. Although it has become common practice in recent years to refer to ourselves as ‘Quakers’, this has limited potential in terms of outreach. There is a familiarity with the term and the listener may presume understanding and inquire no further. The use of the word ‘Friend’ however, requires us to give an explanation of who we are.

We were uplifted by the description of Sweden Yearly Meeting, which manages to engage in a wide range of activities despite the fact that they have only 100 members. There are many examples of small groups or individuals making a difference in the world. As Friends we believe that God has given us all the resources we need, and if we use these gifts we can do all that is required and more.

“A friend is one to whom you can pour out the contents of your heart, chaff and grain alike. Knowing that the gentlest of hands will take and sift it, keep what is worth keeping and with a breath of kindness, blow the rest away.”

Signed on behalf of Ireland Yearly Meeting,

Felicity A McCartney, Clerk

The Friendly Word is a bi-monthly magazine published by Quakers in Ireland.   Subscriptions €20 or £15 per annum for six issues.  You can email office@quakers-in-ireland for further information about ordering a subscription or visit our stand at Ireland Yearly Meeting.

The March-April edition of The Friendly Word is now available. It includes reports from Monkstown, Churchtown and Moyallon Meetings, Junior Moyallon Youth Camp 2010, the EcoQuaker Newsletter, Capetown Quaker Peace Centre Committee and Friendly House in Moscow. There is a meditation by Majorie Lamb as well as articles about traveling among Friends in the USA and innovative conflict resolution programmes for schools.

What’s in the Members’ Area?

The Quakers in Ireland Website now has a members’ area where members of the Society and regular attenders can read and download a variety of documents and forms.  These include items such as meeting and committee reports, event programmes, application forms and commitee membership details.

Who Can Get Access?

Anyone whose name appears on the 2010 List of Names and Addresses (Purple Book) can gain access to the members’ area by following below instructions. If your name doesn’t appear in the 2010 list, you can also ask the clerk of your preparative meeting to request access on your behalf by sending an email to techsupport@quakers-in-ireland.ie

How to Sign Up for Access

In order to get access to the members’ area of the website, you need to perform the following steps:

1. In the main menu click ‘Members Area‘ and select ‘Register for Access‘. You will then be on a page titled ‘Members Area’.
2. Scroll half way down the page and you will see a form entitled ‘‘New Users Registration”
3. Fill in the form with the required information as follows:

• Username – make up an easy-to-remember username, this can be your surname and initials if you like.

• First Name – your first name

• Last Name – your last name email address – We need your email address in order for us to send you a password.

• Phone number – we use this to verify your identity.

Click the Submit button at the bottom of the form when you are happy that you have filled out the form with the correct information. You will get an email from us within 24 hours, confirming your username and giving you a password.

If you do not get an email with these details within 24 hours, check the spam folder in your email to make sure the email has not been trapped.  You can also email techsupport@quakers-in-ireland.ie who will re-issue the password by email.

Changing your Password or Personal Details

When you log in for the first time, click on ‘Register for Access’ in the Members Area menu. Here you will now see two links – ‘Edit my Information‘ and ‘Change Password‘.  If you click on on the ‘Edit my Information‘ link you can update the personal information you have supplied. If you click on the ‘Change Password‘ link you can change your password for something that may be easier for you to remember.

Your Privacy

Please take some time to review our privacy policy before you sign up.

The Yearly Meeting Public Lecture is open to everyone and is a great opportunity to meet Quakers.  It will be given by Ross Chapman at 7.30 pm on Friday 29th April with the title Called to be Friends.

Yearly Meeting 2011 will take place in Dublin at The King’s Hospital School, Palmerston from Thursday 28th April to Sunday 1st May.

Quaker organisation is controlled by meetings rather than by clergy.  Yearly Meeting is responsible for the affairs of meetings all over Ireland.  All members are entitled to take part.  The business includes the finances, consideration of reports of the many national committees and hearing of the work and concerns of Quakers worldwide.  Other religions receive invitations to send representatives.  While the central event for all Quaker communities is the local Meeting for Worship held every Sunday, Yearly Meeting is the occasion when Friends from all parts of Ireland and from further afield have the opportunity to meet and worship together.