Irvine Royal Academy is a six-year non-denominational secondary school in Kilwinning Road,
Irvine, North Ayrshire
Irvine ( ; sco, Irvin,
provided funds to found the King's School of Irvine at Kirkgatehead. A new building was erected in 1816 and a Royal Charter granted in 1818 for the directorship of Irvine Royal Academy, which included the
Earl of Eglinton, 11 councillors and all who subscribed £50 or more.
The school was taken over by a school board in 1872 as a result of the Education Act and a new building was erected. It opened on 27 December 1901. After fees for secondary pupils were abolished in 1927, the school roll rose and it became necessary to build an annexe on Kilwinning Road, on the academy's sports field, in 1932. The school's primary department was closed in 1952.
A replacement building, which became Ravenspark Academy, opened in August 1969. The old buildings remained open to serve pupils from Dreghorn and Kilwinning. In August 1992, the two academies were amalgamated into Irvine Royal Academy and in June 1993 the old school and its annexe were closed. The new Irvine Royal Academy was officially opened by Councillor Elliot Gray JP on 22 March 1994.
Modern Day
In recent years Irvine Royal has been known for being a partner school of the Glasgow University.
Notable former pupils
* Sir
Hilary Rudolph Robert Blood CMG,
Governor of Mauritius from 1949–54
*
Brian Donohoe
Sir Brian Harold Donohoe (born 10 September 1948) is a former Scottish Labour politician and former trade union official, who was the Member of Parliament (MP) for Central Ayrshire from 2005 until losing his seat in 2015. Prior to constituency ...
, Labour MP since 2005 for
South Ayrshire
South Ayrshire ( sco, Sooth Ayrshire; gd, Siorrachd Àir a Deas, ) is one of thirty-two council areas of Scotland, covering the southern part of Ayrshire. It borders onto Dumfries and Galloway, East Ayrshire and North Ayrshire. On 30 June 2 ...
*
Alan Gemmell OBE, Director of the
British Council in India
*
Julie Graham
Julie Graham (born 24 July 1965) is a Scottish television and film actress.
Career
Graham has appeared in the Channel 4 ''Blood Red Roses'' (1986, filmed in East Kilbride). She also appeared in 1986 in an episode of ''Taggart'', “Death Callâ ...
, actress
* Sir
Sandy MacAra, epidemiologist and former Chairman of the BMA
*
Alastair McHarg
Alastair McHarg (born 17 June 1944) is a former Scotland international rugby union player. He played at Lock for the national side between 1968 and 1979.Bath, p147
Rugby Union career
Amateur career
Like Ian McLauchlan and Gordon Brown who we ...
, former Scotland Rugby Union internationalist (1968–79) 44 caps
* Sir
Thomas McKillop, former Chairman of RBS, and Chief Executive from 1999-2006 of
AstraZeneca
*
Eric Potts
Eric Potts (born 13 September 1965) is a Scottish actor, writer and director, who appeared in ''Coronation Street'' as the eccentric baker Diggory Compton after playing four smaller parts, the father of Molly Compton, and ''Brookside'' as Wre ...
*
Brigadier
Brigadier is a military rank, the seniority of which depends on the country. In some countries, it is a senior rank above colonel, equivalent to a brigadier general or commodore, typically commanding a brigade of several thousand soldiers. In ...
James Wilson CBE, Chief Executive from 1977-87 of the
Livingston Development Corporation
Livingston ( sco, Leivinstoun, gd, Baile Dhunlèibhe) is the largest town in West Lothian, Scotland. Designated in 1962, it is the fourth post-war new town to be built in Scotland. Taking its name from a village of the same name incorporate ...
*
James Wilson (1895–1917), accountant and footballer
See also
*
Irvine RFC
Irvine Rugby Football Club is a Rugby Football club in the Scottish Rugby Union, that now plays its rugby in the . They are based in Irvine, Scotland and play their Rugby at Marress.
History
Beginning
Irvine Royal Academy was predominantl ...
References
External links
*
Irvine Royal Academy's page on Scottish Schools Online
{{authority control
Schools in North Ayrshire
Secondary schools in North Ayrshire
Educational institutions established in the 1570s
1572 establishments in Scotland
Irvine, North Ayrshire