Portora Royal School

infobox school | name = Portora Royal School


imagesize = 74px
caption = Portora Royal School logo.
type = Grammar school
location = Enniskillen,
County Fermanagh,
Northern Ireland
website = http://www.portoraroyal.co.uk |

Portora Royal School for boys, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is one of a number of 'free schools' founded by Royal Charter in 1608, by James I. Originally called Enniskillen Royal School, the school was established some ten years after the Royal Decree, in 1618, 15 miles outside Enniskillen at Ballybalfour, before moving to Enniskillen in 1661. It was not until 1778 that the school moved to its present location on Portora Hill, Enniskillen when the nucleus of the present school was built.

Formerly a boarding school, Portora now caters for 490 day students. Originally the school only accepted male pupils, but in the 20th century females were first admitted to Portora; the school's website states, "the year 1979 saw a break from the tradition of the previous 361 years when a small number of girls were accepted as pupils. The number of girl pupils increased from the original 9 boarders and 2 daygirls of 1979 to a maximum of 31 girls in 1984." No girls currently attend Portora; the last graduated in the early 1990s. The school does, however, have some shared classes with both Mount Lourdes and the Collegiate Grammar schools, where their girls attend classes at Portora and vice-versa.

In light of the development of the Arts at Portora, the school was granted specialist school status in the Arts - Performing and Visual, by the Education Minister Caitríona Ruane.

2008 celebrates the quatercentenary of the founding of the five 1608 Royal Schools under proclamation by King James. The five Royal Schools joined together to form a company limited by guarantee known as ‘The 1608 Royal Schools’ to prepare for a ‘Year of Celebration’ in 2008. A book was commissioned to celebrate the Quatercentenary and contains a chapter on each of the schools, and the history of the Plantation and the establishment of The Royal Schools, each written by a different author. The book brings together the histories of each school since their foundation. It was published as a ‘not for profit’ book and contains a foreword by both HM Queen Elizabeth II and the Irish President, Mary McAleese.

The other Royal Schools that were established under the same proclamation are the Royal School Armagh, Royal School Cavan, Royal School Dungannon and Royal School Raphoe in County Donegal. The original intention had been to have a "Royal School" in each of Ireland's counties (James I Order in Council read, “that there shall be one Free School at least appointed in every County, for the education of youth in learning and religion.” ) But only five were actually established.

tatistics

*Age range: 11 - 18
*Day pupils: 490 boys
*Annual school fees: £120, though this is just a voluntary contribution as the school is a state grammar school, not a fee-paying private school.
*Total pupils: 490 boys
*Including 6th form/FE: 130 boys
*Staff numbers: 33 full time
*Method of entry: application to school where pupils are accepted from A - D in the CCEA run, Northern Ireland Transfer Test.
*Professional affiliations: HMC, ISC
*Religious affiliation: Protestant
*Headmaster: Mr Neill Morton
*Bursar: Mrs Alison Stronge

Famous Old Portorans

::See also .

*Oscar Wilde, playwright
*Samuel Beckett, winner of Nobel Prize in Literature
*Rev Henry Francis Lyte, Anglican minister and Hymn writer
*Nigel Dodds, politician - MLA and Member of Parliament, Deputy Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party
*Neil Hannon, singer and song writer
*The Right Reverend Dr. Michael Jackson, Church of Ireland Bishop of Clogher
*Harry West, politician (Ulster Unionist Party leader and Stormont Minister)
*Edward Cooney, Cooneyite founder
*Sir James Kilfedder, former Unionist MP
*Billy McComb, world famed entertainer and magician
*James David Bourchier, journalist and Bulgarian confidant
*Ken Fleming, civil engineer and foundations specialist
*John Beavor-Webb, Yacht Designer and Master of Graceful Line.
*Dr E Charles Nelson - Botanist.
*John White - Surgeon General New South Wales

Miscellaneous

*Former pupil Oscar Wilde won a scholarship to Trinity College, Dublin, and his name therefore appears on the school's Honours board. The name shines more brightly than those of his contemporaries and visitors have suggested that it has been deliberately highlighted. In fact, following his disgraceful conviction and imprisonment in the 1890s, the name was deleted, only to be reinserted in the 1940s, which accounts for its lustre.

See also

*Portora Castle

References

* [http://www.portoraroyal.co.uk Portora Royal School homepage]
* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/fermanagh/A972731.shtml BBC article]