Corrymeela Community
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The Corrymeela Community was founded in 1965 by Ray Davey, along with John Morrow and Alex Watson, as an organisation seeking to aid individuals and communities which suffered through the violence and polarisation of the Northern Irish conflict. Early members were Christians in Northern Ireland from diverse backgrounds who wanted to begin a new community which could counter apathy and complacency and open up new possibilities. In early 1965, to give the community a physical gathering place, Corrymeela moved to the Holiday Fellowship Centre near Ballycastle in
County Antrim County Antrim (named after the town of Antrim, ) is one of six counties of Northern Ireland and one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland. Adjoined to the north-east shore of Lough Neagh, the county covers an area of and has a population o ...
. The new centre was formally opened that same year by Pastor Tullio Vinay, founder of the Agape Community, which was one of Ray Davey's greatest inspirations. Its structure formalised, and a council was elected with Davey serving as treasurer and secretary. Corrymeela opened for the public in November 1965, opening itself as a place for Christian reconciliation in Northern Ireland. Corrymeela was awarded the
Niwano Peace Prize The Niwano Peace Prize is given to honor and encourage those devoting themselves to interreligious co-operation in the cause of peace and to make their achievements known. Its foundation hopes that the prize will further promote interreligious co-o ...
in 1997, in honour of "its contribution to significantly to interreligious cooperation, thereby furthering the cause of world peace."


Programme work

The community also exhibits artwork with themes of peace and reconciliation for Northern Ireland. In 2007, it exhibited The Linen Memorial, a piece made from almost 400 Irish linen handkerchiefs listing almost 4000 names of those killed in the Northern Irish conflict. Visitors left mementos and tokens beside names of those killed, making it an interactive and evolving artwork. The community also hosts educational programmes at the Corrymeela Ballycastle Centre for groups of students and faculty members visiting from colleges and universities around the world.


Leaders

* Ray Davey 1965 – 1980 * John Morrow 1980 – 1994 * Trevor Williams 1994 – 2003 * David Stevens 2003 – 2010 * Kate Pettis 2010–2011 *
Inderjit Bhogal Inderjit Bhogal is a minister in the Methodist church and a leading theologian. He was the first person from a minority ethnic background to be appointed President of the Methodist Conference, in 2000 - 2001, and a founder of City of Sanctuary ...
2011 – 2013 * Pádraig Ó Tuama 2014–2019 * Alexander Wimberly 2019–present


Volunteers

* Shaunagh Craig, Northern Ireland netball international


See also

* Reconciliation theology in Northern Ireland


References


External links

*
Youth as Evaluators: Contested Spaces and Identity
Short film of interviews with young people at the Corrymeela Centre {{Authority control Charities based in Northern Ireland The Troubles (Northern Ireland) Christian nonviolence Ballycastle, County Antrim 1965 establishments in Northern Ireland