Presbyterian minister known for work on NI communities retires

One of the best known and most highly respected Presbyterian ministers in Ireland, Rev Dr John Dunlop, has officially retired from the congregational ministry.

He was Moderator of the Presbyterian Church in 1992 and also, from 1996 to 2003, co-convener of its church and government committee, which represents church opinion on public affairs.

Widely recognised for his work in fostering a better understanding between Protestant and Catholic communities in the North, Dr Dunlop travelled extensively in Europe and the US, explaining the Northern Ireland situation.

In particular, he explored issues surrounding the churches' identification with particular communities, and their responsibilities to be agents

and facilitators of reconciliation.

His 1995 book, A Precarious Belonging, Presbyterians and the Conflict in Ireland, was a description of how Presbyterian attitudes and values in Ireland have underpinned political life

in the North since its beginning.

For his work he was awarded an Eisenhower Exchange Fellowship to the US, and the Cultural Traditions Award.

He was also honoured with a CBE and recent honorary doctorates from the University of Ulster and Queen's University, Belfast.

Rev Dr Dunlop was a member of various public bodies, including the North Commission, which reported to government about ways in which parades issues could be handled and he chaired another commission looking into community development in north Belfast.

Born in Newry in 1939, he was ordained in 1966, and served the Fitzroy congregation in Belfast before spending 10 years in Jamaica.

In 1978 he returned to Belfast, to the Rosemary congregation, where he had been serving until last week.