Introduction
Long regarded as a premier all-Ireland educational institution, Portora Royal School marked the 400th anniversary of its original charter over a weekend of informal activities and an official reception and dinner during September 2008.
This quatercentenary history, entitled ‘The School on the Hill’, has been published to mark these anniversary events. It highlights how Portora has achieved such an enviable reputation as a leading Irish school and outlines some of the changes in Ireland’s political and educational past, describing how it has adapted and altered its educational role over the last 400 years in order to survive.
Early days
Founded in 1608 by King James I as the Free School for Fermanagh, it was established for the education of Plantation children (English, Scots and native Irish) living in Western Ulster. It commenced its early days in Balfour Castle during the summer of 1618 and today the ruins of this original Plantation castle stand guard over the modern town of Lisnaskea.
The School moved from Ballybalfour to Enniskillen, probably around the early 1640s, where after the Restoration, it became officially known as the Enniskillen Royal School; it then expanded its boarding facilities and subsequently made a further move t o Portora Hill in the 1770s, where it has remained to the present day.
The Great School of Enniskillen
In the late 1700s, the distinguished Irish academic the Reverend Dr Robert Burrows, DD, a leading contributor to the formation of the Royal Irish Academy, became the Master. Burrows adopted and developed the talents of the orphaned Henry Francis Lyte (OP 1803-09) , who after Portora and Trinity College, Dublin, became a noted hymnist and writer of verse for Church music. Lyte is probably most famous as the author of those well known hymns ‘Abide with Me’ and ‘Praise my Soul the King of Heaven’ which are amongst the lyrics of some eighty choral works written by him during his lifetime.
During the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries the School attracted a series of distinguished classical and clerical Masters from Trinity College, Dublin. It gained a formidable reputation throughout Ireland for its classical scholarship leading to its contemporary name of ‘The Great School of Enniskillen’.
A change of style
During the Victorian era, under the Mastership of the Reverend Dr William Steele, DD, the School developed into a leading Irish Public School, when Oscar Wilde, (OP, 1864- 71) and Father John Sullivan, SJ, (OP, 1873-79) attended as pupils. Change and development continued after World War I and the formation of the Irish Free State, when Samuel Beckett, (OP, 1920-23) attended the School.
After World War II, the academic emphasis changed to a more scientific and business oriented curriculum, along the lines of a county boys’ grammar school. This produced a new breed of professional administrators and managers, many who have found success as international businessmen, such as Sir Roy McNulty, (OP, 1948-55) , who became President of the Shorts Group (Northern Ireland) and is currently a member of the London Olympic Delivery Committee for 2012. In the field of music, there is Neil Hannon, (OP, 1982-89) who is a composer and the well known founder and leader of the rock band ‘The Divine Comedy’.
Contributors
This publication has been researched and compiled by several generations of current Old Portorans, representing both boarders and dayboys. It outlines the School’s past in a readable and interesting way, while looking forward to a role for Portora over the next 400 years. Based on over two years’ research, it includes many new illustrations covering the School’s foundation and history, sporting success, memorable staff and eminent alumni.
