Members of the Religious Society of Friends, commonly known as Quakers, have had a long history of involvement in peace and relief work in many parts of the world. During the Troubles in Northern Ireland Quakers were in involved in a series of projects. ‘Coming from the Silence’ describes the work of four major projects and a number of smaller initiatives taking place between 1969 and 2007. It sets the work in a wider Quaker context and analyses it from an international development perspective. The four major projects described are: Quaker House, a conciliation project based in Belfast; the Ulster Quaker Service Committee, a family support service working initially at Maze/Long Kesh prison; the Centre for Neighbourhood Development, a Belfast based community development agency; and the Quaker Peace Education Project, a Derry based initiative working mainly with children and young people. Quaker meetings are traditionally periods of silent worship. From this silence came a range of Quaker action in Northern Ireland. This book illustrates the rich variety of action Quakers have been involved in over the last forty years.