In Corrymeela’s 40th Anniversary year, Ray Davey, the founder of the Community, recalls the beginnings of the Corrymeela journey.
IN THE SUMMER OF 1964 I met with John Morrow and Alex Watson, who had both been members of the Iona Community. We decided to call together those we believed would be keen to launch a Christian Community. Some 50 turned up, Christians from all backgrounds; housewives, trades and professional people, students. They were most enthusiastic about the idea of a new community which could counter apathy and complacency and open up new possibilities. We continued to meet and pray together, that we should be shown the way.
Suddenly at a meeting early in 1965 someone informed the gathering that the Holiday Fellowship Centre near Ballycastle in County Antrim was up for sale. That news immediately concentrated our thinking. No longer could we indulge in rather abstract discussions on the nature of Christian community. Now we had to face a real choice, and our ideas and visions were put to the test. I knew the Centre well, and from the start was utterly convinced that this was the place for us.
I went along with three others to visit the Centre and we became excited about its possibilities. It was ideal for our plans, with its delectable setting right on the beautiful North Antrim coast. We were thrilled to see the excellent accommodation and I immediately began to visualise the potential for children, young adults and older people. There was plenty of space with a large dining hall, lounge and conference room. In the grounds were 20 chalets which could be used for additional groups. It seemed as though our dreams were beginning to materialise. Although much rehabilitation work was necessary, we could see that most of it would be within the range of voluntary labour. So it was unanimously agreed that we proceed with the purchase of the property. This was an act of faith as we had no funds, but we believed that together we could raise the money.
I immediately went to the estate agent and made an offer. He seemed quite convinced that we would get the site as no other offers had materialised. Even so the next weeks were anxious for me. Finally on the Friday of a holiday weekend I went in person to the office and pressed the agent to accept our offer, which he finally did. I came home very excited with the prospects that began to open up for our embryonic community.
Next steps
Next the premises had to be put in order and much hard work was needed. We had the priceless support and idealism of a large number of young, and indeed not so young people. The summers of 1965 and ’66 at Corrymeela were a series of work camps. At the same time, money had to be gathered and the basic structure of the Community established.
Quickly our structure, which had been very loose, was formalised. A council was elected, my appointment as Leader was confirmed and a treasurer and secretary elected, all on a voluntary basis. The survival and development of the community was due mainly to the voluntary efforts of a large group of lay people who gave unstintingly of their time, skill and energy.
The first Corrymeela event
In June 1965 a group of some 40–50 people entered the lounge at Corrymeela. It was a Saturday afternoon and the purchase of the premises had just been completed. This meeting had been called to express our gratitude and also to dedicate ourselves and the house to the work of Christian reconciliation throughout the country. It was not a very impressive event and perhaps a little self-conscious. This was indeed the very first Corrymeela event and it almost took us by surprise. I don’t think there were even enough chairs to go round and some had to stand. It seemed so much a non-event with no press and no television coverage. Yet it was a first step and something had happened.
The Gospel reading in the short worship included these words from Luke: ‘If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him.’
The opening
Towards the end of 1965 we knew that we had to go public and let the wider community know what we were about. So on a blustery October Saturday we gathered with our friends and supporters, some two hundred in all, in the Corrymeela lounge. We had come together to open the Centre as a place for Christian reconciliation in Ireland. It was a happy and relaxed day, beginning with the procession of work-campers cheerfully wending their way up from the coast road. They were dressed in their jeans and T-shirts, a noisy and colourful procession, brandishing not only spades, shovels, picks and paint brushes, but also kettles, pots and pans, recognising that everyone had a part to play.
The climax for us all was when Tullio Vinay from Agape declared Corrymeela open. The short speech he made, in broken but most effective English, has remained ever since as a continuous challenge to us.
In this moment of deep emotion for me I wish that with the help of the Living Lord this Centre may become:
FIRST: a place of preaching the New World as we see it in the person of Jesus Christ. The world needs to see this message in the real world of men. Here, living together, the New World in work and prayer, you may point it to all categories of men and push them to the same research, be they politicians, economists, sociologists, technicians, workers or students.
SECOND: a place of encounter and dialogue with all men; believers and unbelievers. The believers need the presence of the unbelievers, because they represent a criticism of our way and life; the unbelievers need us if we have real news to bring. A member of the Italian Parliament once said to me: ‘I am not religious but I am terribly attracted to Christ.’
THIRD: to be a question-mark to the Church everywhere in Europe, so that they may review their structures and tasks, and be free from this instinct of preservation, to hear the time of God for its mission in the world.
FOURTH: more than all, that you – being together – have always open eyes and ears to understand when the Lord is passing nearby, to be ready to follow the way He shall indicate to you. As a church we should not have an inferiority complex – not because we are or have something – but because every possibility is given to us as His instruments.
In my response as Leader I spoke of our vision for Corrymeela:
We hope that Corrymeela will come to be known as ‘the Open Village’, open to all people of good will who are willing to meet each other, to learn from each other and work together for the good of all.
Open also for all sorts of new ventures and experiments in fellowship, study and worship.
Open to all sorts of people; from industry, the professions, agriculture and commerce.
This is part of our vision. We know we are only at the beginning and there is so much to be done.
Going forward
The late sixties and early seventies were still a time of searching and assessment. There had been some euphoria at the start but that did not last long as the everyday problems of such an enterprise were faced. Of course it was idealistic and much had to be learned. The community concept is marvellous in the abstract, but in reality something that has to grow gradually. Even so something did emerge by way of structure and programme. There was no pre-packed blueprint, but rather the shape and character of the place grew out of real-life situations. Corrymeela from the start was about people in all their infinite variety, needs and concerns. This became much more true as the general situation in the country deteriorated in 1969 and violence came to the streets.
Almost, it seemed, in preparation for such a time, the pattern was emerging. The small staff at Ballycastle were unflappable, caring and untiring in facing all sorts of problems. It is staggering just to record all that was accomplished not only in the ever-increasing use of the Centre, but in the arduous work of rehabilitation and adaptation of the old premises to new demands far beyond the original intention. But more important, the continual stream of young people who came to the work camps was a vital part of this period. From these early work-campers many of the leaders of Corrymeela emerged. Then when violence really began Corrymeela was able very quickly to readjust many of its programmes to meet the new challenges of people and families at risk in troubled areas, with intimidation, injury and bereavement becoming so much part of the scene.
Ray Davey
Ray Davey was the founder of the Corrymeela Community. Ray lives in Belfast with his wife Kathleen. Ray’s latest book The War Diaries, is published by Brehon Press and is available from Corrymeela House, 8 Upper Crescent, Belfast, BT7 1NT. Price £8.99, €14.00 or US$17.00 plus post and packing.
Post and packing: UK: 1 copy £1.00 plus 50p per extra book.
Europe: 1 copy £1.50 plus £1.00 per extra book or €2.25 plus €1.50 per extra book.
Rest of the World: £2.50 plus £2 per extra book or US$4.50 plus US$3.75 per extra book.
If ordering more than three books please contact Corrymeela (Belfast) for post and packing.