The Society of Friends Soup House in Cork was established by the Quakers as part of their response to the famine distress in Ireland.
The relief provided by the Quakers aka Society of Friends was given freely without requiring religious conversion and had an unbroken presence in Cork since the 1650s. Quaker women had organised Soup Kitchens in Cork to provide relief during the Wolfe Tone Rebellion for example. Their untiring efforts to alleviate the suffering caused by the Famine (1845-51) cemented the affection and respect the people of Cork had for them.
This illustration was published in The Illustrated London News on January 16, 1847 during the Great Irish Famine. The Meeting House was built in 1833 (and used for worship up until 1939). The building is now a health centre administered by the Southern Health Board.
