Norman Hamilton, (born 6 October 1946) was

Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland The moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland is the most senior office-bearer within the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, which is Northern Ireland's largest Protestant denomination. Role of moderator The moderato ...

from June 2010 - June 2011.

Early life

Hamilton was born in

Magheralin Magheralin () is a village and civil parish in County Down, Northern Ireland. It is on the main A3 road between Moira and Lurgan, beside the River Lagan. It had a population of 2,041 people in the 2021 census. The civil parish of Magheralin co ...

County Down County Down () is one of the six counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the traditional thirty-two counties of Ireland. It covers an area of and has a population of 552,261. It borders County Antrim to the ...

. He went to primary school in Magheralin and Lurgan, before then attending the

Portadown College Portadown College is an academically selective, co-educational post-14 grammar school in Portadown, County Armagh, Northern Ireland. History Preparatory Department Portadown College Preparatory Department was founded in 1921 as the Carlet ...

grammar school. He met his wife, Evelyn, while studying

Economics Economics () is a behavioral science that studies the Production (economics), production, distribution (economics), distribution, and Consumption (economics), consumption of goods and services. Economics focuses on the behaviour and interac ...

Trinity College Dublin Trinity College Dublin (), officially titled The College of the Holy and Undivided Trinity of Queen Elizabeth near Dublin, and legally incorporated as Trinity College, the University of Dublin (TCD), is the sole constituent college of the Unive ...

Career

After graduation he worked as a civil servant for some time before moving to England for a staff position at the

Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship Universities and Colleges Christian Fellowship (UCCF; also UCCF: The Christian Unions) is an evangelical Christian student movement with affiliate groups on university campuses in the United Kingdom. It is a member of the International Fellowsh ...

. After four years, he returned to study

Theology Theology is the study of religious belief from a Religion, religious perspective, with a focus on the nature of divinity. It is taught as an Discipline (academia), academic discipline, typically in universities and seminaries. It occupies itse ...

at the

Union Theological College Union Theological College is the theological college for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland and is situated in Belfast, Northern Ireland. It is governed by the Council for Training in Ministry. It has been responsible for training people for m ...

Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...

. Following graduation, he was an assistant minister at the Lowe Memorial Presbyterian Church for six years before he became a minister at

Ballysillan Oldpark is one of the ten district electoral areas (DEA) in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Located in the north of the city, the district elects six members to Belfast City Council and contains the wards of Ardoyne; Ballysillan; Cliftonville; Lego ...

Presbyterian in north Belfast. Hamilton served as a minister at the Ballysillan church for twenty-six years until retiring in 2014. In 2001, Hamilton played a key role in bringing the

Holy Cross dispute The Holy Cross dispute occurred in 2001 and 2002 in the Ardoyne area of north Belfast, Northern Ireland. During the 30-year conflict known as the Troubles, Ardoyne had become segregated – Ulster Protestants and Irish Catholics lived in separat ...

to an end. In February 2010, Hamilton tied with

Newtownards Newtownards (; ) is a town in County Down, Northern Ireland. It lies at the most northern tip of Strangford Lough, 10 miles (16 km) east of Belfast, on the Ards Peninsula. It is in the Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish of Newtow ...

-based Norman McAuley in an election to elect a new moderator for the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. Following another election in March, Hamilton succeeded

Stafford Carson John Stafford Carson (born 29 May 1951) is a former Principal and Professor of Ministry at Union Theological College, Belfast, and a former moderator of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland. He took office as moderator on 1 June 2009 in succession ...

as Moderator after securing the votes of 11 of 19 presbyteries. He served as moderator for a year before Ivan Patterson succeeded him in June 2011. In 2021, Hamilton joined the

SDLP The Social Democratic and Labour Party (SDLP; ) is a social democratic and Irish nationalist political party in Northern Ireland. The SDLP currently has eight members in the Northern Ireland Assembly ( MLAs) and two members of Parliament (MPs ...

's '

New Ireland Commission The New Ireland Commission is an organisation established in 2021 by the Social Democratic and Labour Party that holds discussions with citizens on the possibilities of a United Ireland. History The New Ireland Commission was set up by the SD ...

Awards

Hamilton was made an

Officer of the Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding valuable service in a wide range of useful activities. It comprises five classes of awards across both civil and military divisions, the most senior two o ...

(OBE) by

Queen Elizabeth II Elizabeth II (Elizabeth Alexandra Mary; 21 April 19268 September 2022) was Queen of the United Kingdom and other Commonwealth realms from 6 February 1952 until Death and state funeral of Elizabeth II, her death in 2022. ...

during the

2007 New Year Honours The New Year Honours 2007 were appointments made by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year cele ...

for his services to community relations in Northern Ireland.

References

1946 births Living people 20th-century Presbyterian ministers from Northern Ireland 21st-century Presbyterian ministers from Northern Ireland People from Lurgan Moderators of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland Christian clergy from County Armagh {{authority control