THE election of a new Moderator for the Presbyterian Church in
Ireland led to a three-way tie which could have resulted in the
Church's having its first woman as leader.
In the tie, the final three candidates gained five votes each.
They were Dr Michael Barry, of Newry, Co. Down; the Revd Liz
Hughes, of Whitehouse, in Co. Antrim; and the Revd Ian McNie, of
Ballymoney, also in Antrim.
A second round of voting followed, in which Dr Barry
(above) won one extra vote. A native of Carrickfergus, in
Co. Antrim, the new Moderator is 65, and married with two
daughters.