It’s a special year for the Royal Schools of Ulster. They were founded in 1608 by King James 1 during the plantation and his legacy survives today.
A new BBC Northern Ireland documentary, By Royal Appointment, examines how the 400-year-old schools are dealing with the demands of 21st century education.
The schools were established to educate the children of English and Scots planters who settled on Ulster land forfeited by the Irish Earls. James wanted to see a local Protestant population and had a vision of free schools in every county “for the education of youth in learning and religion.”
In reality five were set up – two in what is now the Republic of Ireland – over time becoming elite, attracting only those who could afford the fees. Four hundred years on the schools are still in business in Armagh, Cavan, Dungannon, Raphoe and Enniskillen.
The 400th anniversary celebrations have attracted the interest of two heads of state. In March of this year President McAleese attended a special service at St Patrick’s Cathedral in Armagh to mark the quatercentenary.
Later the same month the Queen and the Duke of Edinburgh visited the Royal School in Armagh, meeting staff and pupils from all five schools.
The BBC documentary captures those events and provides an insight into life at the Royal Schools.
Programme producer, Tony Curry says: ”These schools were created at a time of conflict and have survived to the present day so they really are quite unique. We’ve attempted to give a sense of how the schools operate in 2008 in a highly competitive and challenging educational environment.”