Rev. Ruth Patterson. First woman to be ordained as a minister in the Presbyterian Church Photo: Belfast Telegraph Rev. Ruth Patterson, Director of Restoration Ministries has been elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy, and on May 24, along with twenty-seven other newly elected members, was formally admitted to the Academy.
Her citation reads as follows: “Ruth Patterson, the first woman to be ordained in Ireland, is director of Restoration Ministries, an organisation committed to peace and reconciliation in Northern Ireland. She was named the University of Edinburgh’s Alumna of the Year in 2000 and in 2003 received an OBE for her reconciliation work. She has authored some six books, and served for several years on the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund for victims of violence.”
The Royal Irish Academy was founded by Charter in 1785. Members are chosen for their distinguished contributions to scholarship and research in the sciences, humanities, social science, and public service. Membership is by election and considered the highest academic honour in Ireland.