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Portora Royal School located in
Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...
,
County Fermanagh County Fermanagh ( ; ) is one of the thirty-two counties of Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the six counties of Northern Ireland. The county covers an area of 1,691 km2 (653 sq mi) and has a population of 61,805 a ...
, Northern Ireland, was one of the public schools founded by the royal charter in 1608, by
James I James I may refer to: People *James I of Aragon (1208–1276) *James I of Sicily or James II of Aragon (1267–1327) *James I, Count of La Marche (1319–1362), Count of Ponthieu *James I, Count of Urgell (1321–1347) *James I of Cyprus (1334–13 ...
, making it one of the oldest schools in Ireland at the time of its closure. 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 final location on Portora Hill,
Enniskillen Enniskillen ( , from ga, Inis Ceithleann , ' Ceithlenn's island') is the largest town in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. It is in the middle of the county, between the Upper and Lower sections of Lough Erne. It had a population of 13,823 a ...
, where the nucleus of the later all boys school was built. The school admitted a mixture of boarders and day pupils for much of its history, but became a day school in the 1990s. On 28 June 2016, Portora Royal School closed. Portora Royal School amalgamated with
Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School was a secondary school located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Informally known as the Collegiate, the school was founded under the name the Enniskillen Royal School for Girls in 1916. Th ...
which launched the mixed
Enniskillen Royal Grammar School Enniskillen Royal Grammar School, located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, is an academically selective, co-educational, non-denominational voluntary grammar school. The school opened its doors on 1 September 2016. Two former ...
on 1 September 2016, which is partially based on the original site of Portora Hill and the site of Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School.


Notable headmasters

*1935–1945:
I. M. B. Stuart Ian Malcolm Bowen Stuart (18 September 1902 – 3 August 1969), known as I. M. B. Stuart, was an Anglo-Irish schoolmaster, author and broadcaster in the United Kingdom who migrated to the United States in 1946. In 1924 he played rugby for Irela ...
, Ireland rugby footballer.


Old Portorans

* Desmond Arthur, early 20th century pilot * Samuel Beckett, winner of Nobel Prize in Literature and the only winner of the Nobel Prize to have played first-class cricket. *
James David Bourchier James David Bourchier (18 December 1850 at Baggotstown, near Bruff in County Limerick – 30 December 1920 in Sofia, Bulgaria) was an Irish journalist and political activist. He lived in Sofia from 1892 to 1915. Bourchier was an honourable m ...
, journalist and Bulgarian confidantJames Quinn. 2009. ''Bourchier, James David. In James McGuire, James Quinn (ed.), Dictionary of Irish Biography''. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. * Denis Parsons Burkitt, surgeon. * Sir Andrew Clarke, Governor of the
Straits Settlements The Straits Settlements were a group of British territories located in Southeast Asia. Headquartered in Singapore for more than a century, it was originally established in 1826 as part of the territories controlled by the British East India Comp ...
*
Edward Cooney Edward Cooney (1867–1960) was an Irish evangelist from the 1890s to the 1950s. Cooney was born in Enniskillen, Ireland to William R. Cooney, a wealthy local merchant. He was the third of eight children and joined the family business after fin ...
, Cooneyite founder * Nigel Dodds, politician – MLA and Member of Parliament, Deputy Leader of the Democratic Unionist Party * Charles Duff, writer and polyglot * Gordon Dunne, MLA * Cyril Falls, World War 1 military historian. * Ken Fleming, civil engineer and foundations specialist * James Gamble, founder of Procter & Gamble. * Neil Hannon, singer and songwriter * William Hearn, legal academic. * George Hegarty, World War 1
flying ace A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
. *
Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the " King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over ...
, Church of Ireland Lord Archbishop of Dublin (and formerly Lord Bishop of Clogher) * Sir Jim Kilfedder, former Unionist MP Patrick Maume. 2011. ''Kilfedder, Sir James. In James McGuire, James Quinn (ed.), Dictionary of Irish Biography''. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. *
Dickie Lloyd Richard Averill Lloyd (4 August 1891 – 23 December 1950) was an Irish cricketer and rugby union player. At cricket, he was a right-handed batsman and right-arm medium pace bowler who played two first-class matches for the Ireland cricket t ...
, cricketer and rugby union player. * Henry Francis Lyte,
Anglican Anglicanism is a Western Christian tradition that has developed from the practices, liturgy, and identity of the Church of England following the English Reformation, in the context of the Protestant Reformation in Europe. It is one of the ...
minister and Hymn writer Patrick M. Geoghegan. 2009. ''Lyte, Henry Francis. In James McGuire, James Quinn (ed.), Dictionary of Irish Biography''. Cambridge, United Kingdom: Cambridge University Press. *
Billy McComb Billy McComb (April 12, 1922 – April 30, 2006) was a British-born American magician and comedian. He was one of the United Kingdom's leading magicians in the 1950s and 1960s. He was hired to perform at the International of Magicians in 1962 an ...
, world famed entertainer and magician *
Leo McKinstry Leo McKinstry (born 1962) is a British journalist, historian and author. Life and career Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, McKinstry was educated at Portora Royal School, Enniskillen, and Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge, where he graduated wit ...
, journalist and author * Donald Burgess McNeill, physics academic, transport author, keen rower, and first Esquire Bedale of Southampton University *Sir
Roy McNulty Sir Robert William Roy McNulty, CBE (born 7 November 1937) is a Northern Irish-born businessman. The son of Jack and Nancy McNulty, he was educated at Portora Royal School in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh and Trinity College Dublin. McNulty was ...
, businessman. * Vivian Mercier, literary critic * E. Charles Nelson, botanist. *
Sir Edward Sullivan, 1st Baronet Sir Edward Sullivan, 1st Baronet, PC (Ire) (10 July 1822 – 13 April 1885) was an Irish lawyer, and a Liberal Member of Parliament for Mallow, 1865–1870 in the House of Commons of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland. He was als ...
, Lord Chancellor of Ireland. * John Sullivan -
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priest.Loobey, John. (2017). ''Blessed John Sullivan: A Man Sent By God''. Dublin: Messenger Publications. . *
Sir Charles Tegart Sir Charles Augustus Tegart (5 October 1881 – 6 April 1946) was an Irish-born police officer who served in British India and Palestine. Tegart was the mastermind behind the creation of the Arab Investigation Centres in Palestine during the ...
, Commissioner of the Indian Police and Palestine fort builder. *
Emily Valentine Emily Frances Valentine, designated the first lady of rugby and "female William Web Ellis" by the media, is the earliest documented female rugby player (at the age of 10) in 1887, and provides the only confirmed record of a woman playing in the ...
- 1st known woman to play rugby *
Brian Goold-Verschoyle Brian Goold-Verschoyle (5 June 1912 – 5 January 1942) was an Irish member of the Communist Party of Great Britain who was recruited by the Soviet NKVD as a courier between its moles and their handlers in London. After being sent as a radio tech ...
- British Communist, Spanish Civil War veteran, died a victim of Stalin's Great Purge in a Soviet gulag. * Leslie Waddington, art dealer * Peter Webb, cricketer and business executive * Harry West, politician ( Ulster Unionist Party leader and Stormont Minister) *
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
, playwrightRobinson, James. 2005. ''Pentecostal Origins: Early Pentecostalism in Ireland in the Context of the British Isles: Studies in Evangelical History and Thought''. Milton Keynes, United Kingdom: Paternoster, pp. 34–35.. *H.M. French, artist and latinist


Oscar Wilde

Former pupil
Oscar Wilde Oscar Fingal O'Flahertie Wills Wilde (16 October 185430 November 1900) was an Irish poet and playwright. After writing in different forms throughout the 1880s, he became one of the most popular playwrights in London in the early 1890s. He is ...
won a scholarship to Trinity College Dublin, and his name appears on the school's Honours board. There is also an Ulster History Circle Blue Plaque on the school building commemorating him. Wilde's name was painted over in 1895 following his imprisonment for homosexuality, which was criminalised in the United Kingdom. Additionally, initials he had carved into the window casement of a classroom as a student there were removed. His name was later reinstated on the Honours board.


Formation of Enniskillen Royal Grammar School

A proposal by the Department of Education to merge Portora Royal School with the
Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School Enniskillen Collegiate Grammar School was a secondary school located in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. Informally known as the Collegiate, the school was founded under the name the Enniskillen Royal School for Girls in 1916. Th ...
to form "Enniskillen Royal Grammar School" was approved by the Minister of Education, John O'Dowd, in June 2015 but the matter was taken to the High Court in October 2015 due to much local opposition. The High Court bid to stop the amalgamation of the two Enniskillen grammar schools failed.


See also

*
Portora Castle Portora Castle is a castle in Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland. The castle was built for Sir William Cole who purchased the land in 1612. It is strategically positioned by the narrow exit of the River Erne into the Lower Lough E ...


References


External links


Portora Royal School official web pageBBC article
{{authority control 1608 establishments in Ireland Educational institutions established in the 1600s Organisations based in Northern Ireland with royal patronage Member schools of the Headmasters' and Headmistresses' Conference Enniskillen Grade B1 listed buildings Schools with a royal charter