A Trip To Ballitore

27/03/23 11:27

On Sunday 5th March, four members of South Belfast Meeting went to visit the Quaker Meeting at Ballitore, Co. Kildare, a trip that had been planned but postponed due to the COVID pandemic. We had an early start, so that we would arrive in time to attend Meeting for Worship with them.

The village of Ballitore first developed during the late 17th century as a Quaker settlement after two Quakers from Lancashire, John Bancroft and Abel Strettel established a farm and mill in the area (1684). Ballitore takes its name from the Gaelic 'Baíle' meaning a town, and 'Togher' meaning a marsh.

Over time, the Meeting House fell in to disrepair and in 1975 it was restored by Kildare County Council. The room where MfW is held is on the upper floor, and the ground floor provides a spacious youth club and small theatre facility for the young people of the area.

We reached the village just in time for the Meeting- thanks to the excellent driving and navigational skills in the team. Bernadette and Patrick welcomed us when we arrived. The Meeting room was heated by a small open fire, and after MfW we talked about Ballitore and its’ history over coffee. Later we were given a tour by Patrick to nearby Moone, to visit a former monastic site with its’ High Cross. The High Cross is beautifully carved with biblical scenes.

The visit was very worthwhile, and was an opportunity for us all to learn about Quakers in other parts of Ireland, and for the larger Meetings to support smaller Meetings.

For more local history background on Ballitore see http://www.kildare.ie/southkildareheritagetrail/ballitore.htm

SOUTH BELFAST QUAKERS

Quakers (or the Religious Society of Friends as they are also known), have held Meetings for Worship in Ireland since 1654. After a previous failed attempt to establish a lasting Belfast Meeting around 1665, the first permanent Belfast Quaker Meeting was established in 1799, and in 1810 it moved to Brewery Lane, now known as Frederick Street. It wasn’t until 1956 that a second Meeting was approved for Friends who lived in Belfast, this time based in the south of the city. South Belfast Meeting House is an active Meeting with approximately 45 adult members and attenders who worship together each Sunday. Children & Young People also play a large part in our meeting, and we have on average 22, 1-18 year olds joining us for the last 10 mins of our worship, after their own activities.

Meeting for Worship takes place at 10.45am each Sunday at our meeting house ( see address and directions on the contact page )

Alternatively you can join us on Zoom with the following details:

Meeting iD: 4613195026
Pass: 143412

South Belfast Meeting is part of the larger Ireland Yearly Meeting (see details of Quakers in Ireland below)