As Ray Davey watched from a prisoner of war camp the Allied firebombs that destroyed Dresden in 1945, he realised we all can succumb to hatred and violence when we accept a narrative of ‘us’ versus ‘them’. Changed by this experience and inspired by communities of ecumenical Christian faith around Europe, Ray and others founded The Corrymeela Community in 1965 as a way of building a more peaceful N. Ireland.   

During the conflict known as the Troubles, we welcomed people from different sides and provided a way for them to meet safely, have difficult conversations well and support one another. As we did so, we built a network of relationships based on trust and reconciliation. These relationships played a part in accelerating the N. Ireland peace process and inspiring people around the world to live out reconciliation in their daily lives.