John Morrow

John Morrow (28 June 1931 – 1 January 2009) was a Presbyterian minister and peace activist in Northern Ireland. He was integral in the 1965 founding of the Corrymeela Community, a Christian group committed to promoting peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. He succeeded Corrymeela's founder Ray Davey as the leader of the community in 1980 and served as its leader until 1993, providing it with a sense of cohesion and direction in its work of ecumenical Christian leadership and help for families during the Troubles.

Education Morrow grew up on a dairy farm near Dundonald, on the outskirts of Belfast. He was educated at Campbell College grammar school and then at Queen's University, where he took primary and master's degrees in agriculture. He then decided to become a minister and completed his theological training at New College Edinburgh and at the former Assembly's College, now Union Theological College.

Early career

Morrow's first charge was at Seymour Hill Presbyterian Church near Lisburn, where he served as minister and pursued a career in the difficult and often controversial area of ecumenical relations.

As Presbyterian Chaplain at Queens University, he encouraged the movement known as The Peace People, under the leadership of Betty Williams and Mairead Corrigan.

Later work

After his time at Corrymeela, Morrow worked in association with the Irish School of Ecumenics as a lecturer and Northern Ireland co-ordinator.

Morrow received an honorary doctorate from the University of Ulster in 2006.

Personal life

Morrow married Shirley Duncan on 29 December 1959; Shirley died on 8 July 2004. The couple had four children; Duncan, Philip, Alison, and Neil. He died in his sleep on 1 January 2009.

Books The Captivity of the Irish Churches (1974) Confessions of Prionsias O’Toole (1977) [This book is actually by the novelist John Morrow (1930-2014) http://artscouncil-ni.org/news/obituary-john-morrow-belfast-novelist ] The Essex Factor (1982) Journey of Hope: Sources of the Corrymeela Vision (1995) Belfast: Faith in the City (contributor) (2001) On the Road of Reconciliation: A Brief Memoir (2004)