Quakers to hold assembly in Cork for first time

The Quakers will hold their annual assembly in Cork for the first time in 360 years this week.

The Religious Society of Friends, more commonly known as Quakers, has had a continuous presence in Ireland, and in Cork, for over three centuries.

In the early part of the 19th century, over 8,000 people were employed in Quaker industries in the town of Mountmellick, Co Laois, alone — working in brewing, milling, textiles, tanning and engineering.