The Lecale and Downe Historical Society’s annual outing took place on Saturday 29 June. The party travelled to the Moravian Church at Kilwarlin, near Hillsborough before visiting the Moravian village of Gracehill in County Antrim.
John Hus was a famous Czech theologian who was one of the earliest reformers and was burned at the stake for heresy in 1415. His ideas took root across Europe, with the first Moravian presence in the northern part of Ireland established by John Cennick at Ballykennedy (now Gracehill) in 1759.
Kilwarlin Church is a remarkable place, and we were met there by the minister, Reverend Livingstone Thompson, who explained the history of the congregation. Particular emphasis was given to the remarkable Reverend B.P. Zula, a former Greek revolutionary who revived the ailing congregation in 1834, rebuilding the church at his own expense and becoming its resident minister in 1837. His work at Kilwarlin included the construction of Zula’s Hollow, a garden which contains a miniature site plan of the Battle of Thermopylae, 480 BC.
We proceeded to the beautiful village of Gracehill for lunch and then a most engaging tour of the church and village led by the archivist Jackie Neill. Her presentation gave us a wonderful summary of the Moravian community through the ages. Just a few weeks after our visit, the Society was delighted to learn that Gracehill had been granted UNESCO World Heritage status, a just reward for the hard work that has been put in by the Gracehill Trust over many years.
The thanks of those who joined this excellent trip are extended to Marian and Frank McGreevy for their meticulous planning and organisation.
