Obituary: Norman Carmichael

Obituary: Norman Carmichael

 

It was with great sadness that we learned recently of the passing of Norman Carmichael after a short illness.

‘Storming Norman’ as he was known by many came from a humble beginning to become hugely successful in the hospitality industry.

Hailing from Cookstown, he never forgot his roots. During his early life he was a conductor on the buses in London and back in his native Cookstown, he worked as a door -to door drapery salesman.

He saved the money to buy his first pub in Dungannon, which he renamed as ‘Normans’. He also opened ‘The White Heather Lounge’ in the town  during the Troubles, attracting many international performers at a time when no-one wanted to come over to Northern Ireland.

He owned The Glenavon House Hotel in Cookstown for a brief period and in the late 1970s, he moved to north Down where he purchased The Railway Bar in Holywood . Here  he saw the opening for food to be served in the pub and ably assisted by his wife, Joan, he drew up a menu. In the early days,  the hard work mainly fell to Joan who made soup and sandwiches at home and brought them by car to the pub, but from there, the business grew.

In the early 1990s Norman purchased The Stables in Groomsport . It was the first £1m bar and restaurant deal in the province. Ably supported by Joan and their sons, Keith, Ian and Derek the family business grew to include The Tidy Doffer at Ravarnet; The Hillside in Hillsborough; The Bryansburn in Bangor; Morrisons in Belfast and The Ross Park Hotel in Kells, near Ballymena.

Norman was a true family man and hated to be called ‘the boss’ . He always referred to his wife in those terms though and it was without doubt his proudest moment when Joan was awarded the MBE for services to the hospitality trade in 2012.

Norman’s other love was football and he was vice-president of Glentoran in the 1980s & 1990s and later, he supported both Bangor and Ards financially. He also was a life-long fan of Spurs.

People from all walks of life packed Derryloran Parish Church in Cookstown for the funeral service and it was a testament to Norman’s popularity that many even queued outside in the cold in order to pay tribute to a self-made man from Cookstown

Our deepest sympathy goes out to his wife Joan , his sons and the greater family circle.