Introduction
I arrived in Belfast, Northern Ireland on Jan. 8 for three months of volunteering at Corrymeela, which is located in the town of Ballycastle on the north coast of Northern Ireland. Over the next three months, I hope to share some of my experiences through this blog. I am not committing to a specific frequency, but hope to provide an update on a regular basis.
Corrymeela – what is it?
Established in 1965, the best and briefest definition I have for Corrymeela is the statement on the side of the Corrymeela van: “Working to embrace difference, heal divisions and enable reconciliation.” I will learn more over the next few months about what Corrymeela is and does, so this definition is likely to expand.
Corrymeela is comprised of a mix of people – staff, volunteers for varying lengths of time and the Corrymeela Community. I don’t know the details of the last group, except to say they are a large group of people who have a connection and commitment that in some way supports the activities and programs of the organization. At any time, it seems that one or more of these people will be on site to undertake various types of work.
The Corrymeela Welcome
From the time I arrived in Belfast and was met by someone from Corrymeela, I have felt warmly welcomed by all the people here. Time seems to have flown past with many people to meet, much information to absorb and plenty of new experiences. My experience thus far indicates that the people of Northern Ireland generally are friendly and welcoming.
One of the initial highlights for me was a trip to Belfast the day after I arrived for the annual dedication service that welcomes new members into the Corrymeela Community and an opportunity for volunteers to publicly express their commitment to the work of the organization.
Life at Corrymeela
I am living in a building called Coventry, which houses volunteers and a few staff. Most of the volunteers are here for one year, but there are a few of us who are here for three months or even shorter lengths of time. Another highlight in the short time I have been here is getting to work with and hang out with the long-term volunteers. They are young adults, mostly in their 20s, from a mix of countries - Germany, the US, Hungary, the Philippines, Cameroon and England as well as places in Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland. They bring a great diversity of cultures, experiences and perspectives to the life and work of Corrymeela.
While there are patterns to the life and schedule of Corrymeela, there certainly does not seem to be what could be described as a “normal” or regular day. It will take a bit more time to become conversant with how things work here, but it is clear that a substantial part of the programs take place on weekends between Friday evening and early Sunday afternoon. Groups also come during the week, either for a day, portion of a day or for a couple of days.
Monday is a day when there normally are no external groups on site and the focus is on aspects of community life – clean-up of Coventry, regular meetings, training and some other aspects of community life.
Each day, there is opportunity for people to come together for a time of shared reflection led by someone in the community on a self-selected basis. While attendance is not mandatory, I have found these to be excellent times. The building typically used for these times of reflection is called the Croi – a Gaelic word which means the heart. It is unique building in that it is shaped like the human heart.
Community life at Corrymeela also involves sharing in an array of things – sweeping, vacuuming and mopping floors, cleaning rooms of various types, washing windows and more. All mid-term and long-term volunteers (I am mid-term) undertake these activities on a rotation basis. Working alongside people is a great way to get to know them.
Corrymeela is a busy place. but there is time for fun and play. One evening, all the mid-term and long-term volunteers drove to a town quite near Ballycastle to bowl. Lots of fun. On another evening, I joined a couple of the staff for a cold Smithwick’s at O’Connor’s Pub. Live traditional music made for what could be described a classic Irish evening.
Ballycastle
Corymeela sits on a hill overlooking the ocean, which means that the site is regularly exposed to high winds. To take advantage of this, there is a windmill on site that provides some of the required electricity. The view from Corrymeela are spectacular – ocean, coastline, town of Ballycastle, fields and Rathlin Island. Rathlin is located about four or five miles off shore and, while there are about 100 people who live there, it is home to 10s of thousands of seabirds. An interesting bit of history is that Robert the Bruce from Scotland came to Rathlin after a significant defeat at the hands of the English. While on Rathlin, he apparently was inspired to return to Scotland to once again wage war against the English. There is daily foot passenger ferry service to/from the island.
During orientation, I walked into town with one of the long-term volunteers to check out the town. It’s small and reminds me of many small towns that I’ve hiked through in Scotland. For a small town, it seems to have all the basic services that one would need. In terms of businesses, there seem to be more pubs, pharmacies and restaurants/cafes than other businesses.
The walk from Corrymeela into the centre of town takes about 25 minutes and passes a picturesque sandy beach. The walk also passes a golf course and provides excellent views of the harbour. About 25 km directly north of Corrymeela is the southern tip of the Kintyre Peninsula in Scotland. While the Kintyre is not always visible, I have seen it once.
The Weather
A couple of friends questioned my sanity over coming to Northern Ireland during the winter. Since arriving here, however, the weather has been better than anticipated. While there has been some rain and lots of wind, there also has been plenty of sun.
Initial Work
During my first full weekend at Corrymeela, I helped facilitate sessions with a small group of 13 and 14 year olds. These sessions focused on building trust, understanding, national identity and related topics. We used a mix of inside and exterior experiential learning. These kids come from a community that has many sectarian issues at play, so the challenges are big for these young people to re-shape the direction of their community in the future. Other groups over the past week have included university and young adult groups. I don’t a complete picture of the programs and participants, but groups come from across Northern Ireland, the Republic of Ireland, and other parts of the UK, Europe and the U.S. The work of Corrymeela seems to be far reaching.
Stay tuned for more.
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