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43-534: The Royal School is a mixed boarding school located in Dungannon , County Tyrone , Northern Ireland . It was one of a number of 'free schools' created by James I (otherwise known as James VI of Scotland) in 1608 to provide an education to the sons of local merchants and farmers during the plantation of Ulster . Originally set up in Mountjoy near Lough Neagh in 1614, it moved to its present location in 1636. It

86-513: A townland called Drumcoo. Over time, the urban area has spread into the neighbouring townlands. Many of its roads and housing estates are named after them. The following is a list of these townlands and their likely etymologies: Until its closure in 2010, the crystal glass producer Tyrone Crystal was based in Dungannon. Dungannon is linked to the M1 motorway , which runs from the southeast of

129-462: 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, the schools planned for other counties never coming into being. The Royal School, Dungannon is one of several Royal Schools ordered in 1608 by James I with

172-657: A castle on the hill. After the O'Neills' defeat in the Nine Years' War , the English founded a plantation town on the site, which grew into what is now Dungannon. Dungannon has won Ulster in Bloom 's Best Kept Town Award five times. It currently has the highest percentage of immigrants of any town in Northern Ireland. For centuries, Dungannon's fortunes were closely tied to that of the O'Neill dynasty which ruled

215-578: A former pupil of the school, left money in his will to found Dilworth School , Auckland , New Zealand in 1906. Since the 1990s links between the two schools have been cemented, with annual exchanges of students. Four upper-sixth-formers from the Royal School, two boys and two girls, currently spend a gap year as staff members of Dilworth School before starting university. In return, three boys leaving Dilworth join RSD staff as GAP tutors. On 7 October 2014

258-526: A fort, for it was one of the highest points in the area and dominated the surrounding countryside, giving (depending on the weather) the ability to see seven counties. This castle was burned in 1602 by Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone , as Crown forces under Lord Mountjoy closed in on the Gaelic lords towards the end of the Nine Years' War . In 1607, ninety-nine Irish chieftains and their followers, including Hugh O'Neill, set sail from Rathmullan , bound for

301-529: A ground. The club has played on at least five different locations during its existence. Home games are played at Dungannon Park. Dungannon Swifts F.C. is the town's local team, which plays in the NIFL Premiership , and is Tyrone's only representative in the league, following Omagh Town 's collapse. The club represented Northern Ireland in European competition in the 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup and

344-440: A hardware shop. Locals broke the back of the horses' wagon open, to free the animals trapped inside. A large group of locals and police physically moved the wagon containing the lions back onto the road to allow it to be removed. The population of the town increased slightly overall during the 19th century: Dungannon had a population of 14,340 at the 2011 census, rising by 3,349 (over 30%) from 10,983 in 2001, making it one of

387-622: A house upon enrolling – where possible this is the same house as assigned to a previous relative at the school. The current houses are named below. The names in brackets indicate the full name of each house given when the amalgamation with Dungannon High School for Girls in 1986 incorporated the high school's own house system. 1986 names follow the original, historic Royal School names. The names of houses refer to notable past headmasters, alumni or local geography. Dungannon Dungannon (from Irish Dún Geanainn , meaning 'Geanann's fort', pronounced [d̪ˠuːn̪ˠ ˈɟan̪ˠən̪ˠ] )

430-410: A large part of Ulster until the 17th century. Dungannon was the clan's main stronghold. The traditional site of inauguration for 'The O'Neill' was Tullyhogue Fort , an Iron Age mound some four miles northeast of Dungannon. The clan O'Hagan were the stewards of this site for the O'Neills. In the 14th century the O'Neills built a castle on what is today known as Castle Hill; the location was ideal for

473-478: A new school flag. The Royal School for Girls was founded in 1889 and was known as the "Girls' Department" (until at least 1908) housed in the Robinson (North) wing of the Royal School between 1892 and 1926. This school became Dungannon High School for Girls in a self-contained campus adjoining Royal School lands on Ranfurly Road. In 1986 the high school was re-merged with the Royal School. The last headmistress of

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516-406: A pilot lorry, which was towing three wagons, struck a chemist's shop while taking a sharp bend on Irish Street. The driver lost control of the lorry, which continued on to Market Square. The first of its wagons, carrying eight horses, four Shetland ponies and an ass, toppled over, smashing the front of two drapery shops. The second wagon, carrying three lions, crashed into the front of a hair salon and

559-650: A second time left the club without a ground. Cricket was kept alive by the Royal School, Bankers and the RUC until 1939 when the Second World War broke out. The club was reformed in 1948 mainly due to the efforts of Eddie Hodgett and the NCU leagues in 1952 and continues to do so to the present time. The club has never quite reached senior cricket as it has limited resources and relies on the District Council for

602-506: Is a town in County Tyrone , Northern Ireland. It is the second-largest town in the county (after Omagh ) and had a population of 16,282 at the 2021 Census . The Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council had its headquarters in the town, though since 2015 the area has been covered by Mid-Ulster District Council . For centuries, it was the 'capital' of the O'Neill dynasty of Tír Eoghain , who dominated most of Ulster and built

645-580: Is quite unlike any other police barracks of a similar vintage in Ireland. A popular but apocryphal story relates that the unusual design of this building is due to a mix-up with the plans in Dublin which meant Dungannon got a station designed for Nepal and they got a standard Irish barracks, complete with a traditional Irish fireplace. Dungannon Park covers 70 acres (28 hectares); it is centred round an idyllic still-water lake, with miles of pathways and views of

688-464: The 2007–08 UEFA Cup . The local boys' Gaelic football club is Dungannon Thomas Clarkes ( Thomáis Uí Chléirigh Dún Geanainn ) while the ladies' football team is Aodh a Ruadh. Dungannon Golf Club, which provides an 18-hole course, appointed its first woman captain in January 2022. The local Hare Coursing Club has been in existence since the 1920s but the sport was popular in the area long before

731-592: The Archbishop of Armagh (Church of Ireland) took over the selection of headmasters from the Crown in 1682. A later Archbishop lost interest in the school and the management was taken over by the Presbyterian Congregation in Dungannon. This was quite a turn round as in earlier years Presbyterians were not allowed to attend except on condition that they converted to Anglicanism. In the literature of

774-596: The Government of Northern Ireland 1963 the UTA closed the "Derry Road" through Dungannon in 1965. The site of Dungannon station is now a public park and the former trackbed through the station is now a greenway. Dungannon Cricket Club was established in 1865. Attempts were made to re-establish the club after the First World War and this was done in 1929 and survived until 1933 when Lord Ranfurly died, which for

817-733: The Portadown – Derry railway route that came to be informally called "The Derry Road". The Great Northern Railway took over the PD&;O in 1876 and built a branch line from Dungannon to Cookstown in 1879. The GNR Board cut back the Cookstown branch to Coalisland in 1956 and the Ulster Transport Authority (UTA) closed the branch altogether in 1959. In accordance with the Benson Report submitted to

860-705: The Proclamation of Dungannon , in which the rebels set out their aims and proclaimed their loyalty to Charles I . O'Neill claimed they had been ordered to rise by the King, and later produced a forged commission in support of this. During the course of the Irish Confederate Wars , Dungannon changed hands several times; Scots Covenanter forces under Alexander Leslie captured it in September 1642, before O'Neill took it back in spring 1643. In 1973,

903-676: The moat and walls of the castle. In the late 1960s Northern Ireland was plunged into an ethnopolitical conflict known as the Troubles . On 24 August 1968, the Campaign for Social Justice (CSJ), the Northern Ireland Civil Rights Association (NICRA), and other groups, held Northern Ireland's first civil rights march from Coalisland to Dungannon. The rally was officially banned, but took place and passed off without incident. The publicity surrounding

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946-493: The 19th century by the local industrial chimneys' smoke emissions. The Former Pupils' Association occasionally use this name in correspondence to members. The term "Old Grey Mother" was first used when the original sandstone front of the headmaster's house was covered with a cement rendering which discoloured badly (due to industrial chimney discharges) until cleaned in the 1980s. A house system exists to facilitate healthy sporting and academic competition. All students are assigned

989-571: The Ulster History Circle unveiled a blue plaque in his memory on the main building, the "Old Grey Mother"; the joint unveilers were the headmasters of the Royal School and the Dilworth School. 30 pupils from Dilworth attended. The Royal School Dungannon's motto is 'Perseverando', Latin for 'by persevering'. It is sometimes interpreted as 'never say die' however their strapline , 'Excellence Through Perseverance', reflects

1032-464: The area. On Census day (27 March 2011) there were 14,340 people living in Dungannon (5,388 households), accounting for 0.79% of the NI total. Of these: In the 2021 Census , Dungannon was recorded as having a population of 16,282, a 13.5% increase from 2011. Of these: An interesting feature of the town is the former Royal Irish Constabulary barracks at the northeastern corner of the market square which

1075-685: The continent, in an event known as the Flight of the Earls . In what became known as the Plantation of Ulster , their lands were confiscated and awarded to Protestant English and Scots settlers; Dungannon and its castle were granted to Sir Arthur Chichester , the Lord Deputy of Ireland . Sir Phelim O'Neill seized the town in the opening stages of the Irish Rebellion of 1641 , and issued

1118-470: The fastest growing towns in Northern Ireland. It has the highest percentage of immigrants of any town in Northern Ireland. Immigrants make up about 11% of its population; more than twice the average. Between 2001 and 2011, the number of immigrants in Dungannon increased tenfold; the biggest increase of any town. Many came to work in the local food processing plants. There have been several attacks on immigrants and clashes between rival groups of immigrants in

1161-644: The formation of the club. With hare coursing currently banned in Northern Ireland, the Dungannon club organises meetings in the Republic of Ireland. Greyhound racing was once a popular sport in Dungannon. The Dungannon Greyhound Stadium was opened in July 1930, the third track in Northern Ireland after Celtic Park and Dunmore Stadium . The stadium, also known as the Oaks Park Greyhound Stadium, remained operational until January 2003 when it

1204-489: The growth of the school to over 650 pupils including a boarding department of 46 pupils and 6 full-time staff. Hewitt was chairman of the 1608 Royal Schools of Ulster when they celebrated their quatercentenary of the original charter in 2008 and were visited by Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh , and the president of the Republic of Ireland, Mary McAleese. He was the fifth longest serving headmaster of RSD when he retired after 25 years' service in 2009 and

1247-473: The high School was Margaret E Macbeth who became a vice principal in the amalgamated school. Macbeth retired in 1994. The Royal and High School sites were joined with a covered walkway at the time of amalgamation and the high school building remained in use until 2003. Following the building of new classrooms that were sited closer to the original boys' school, the majority of the high school was demolished and redeveloped as sporting facilities. James Dilworth ,

1290-516: The intended purpose "that there shall be one Free School at least appointed in every County, for the education of youth in learning and religion." These schools provided an English style education to the sons of landed settlers in Ireland , most of whom were of Scottish or English descent. A royal charter of 13 May 1614 records the appointment of John Bullingbroke as the first headmaster. Three more headmasters were appointed by royal charters before

1333-486: The march encouraged other groups to form branches of NICRA. During the conflict Dungannon suffered numerous bombings, and almost 50 people were killed in and around the town. The deadliest attack was on 17 March 1976, when a loyalist car bomb killed four Catholic civilians . On 7 May 1954, a convoy of circus wagons crashed and overturned in Dungannon. The convoy was on its way to hold a circus in Ballygawley when

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1376-514: The nineteenth century the Royal School Dungannon is sometimes referred to as "Dungannon College" and in the writing of the eighteenth century it is referred to as "the Dungannon school". Paul Hewitt was the twentieth headmaster and oversaw the major change to co-education in 1986, the expansion and rebuilding of the campus, the development of close links with Dilworth School , New Zealand, in an exchange scheme for GAP pupils, and

1419-514: The original translation more closely. The school motto was only introduced in 1986, when the Royal School Dungannon merged with the Girls' High School, adopting their motto as its own. Previous to this RSD did not have any form of motto. The school colours, chocolate and magenta (     ), were adopted in 1870. They are shared by two other UK schools: Fettes College in Edinburgh and

1462-526: The rugby colours of Bradford Grammar School . Having sporting facilities such as three rugby pitches, two hockey pitches (one a new-generation, floodlit astroturf pitch) indoor and outdoor cricket facilities, a sports hall with treadmills and other equipment for personal and team training, the school sports are rugby and hockey in winter, and athletics and cricket are played competitively along with shooting. Tennis, swimming, table-tennis, golf, horse riding, cross-county, and netball are also available throughout

1505-449: The surrounding townland. Dungannon is in the southeast of County Tyrone, within the historic barony of Dungannon Middle and the civil parish of Drumglass. The town grew up around a hill, known locally as Castle Hill. There are three small lakes on the southern edge of town, the biggest of which is Black Lough . There are also two parks in the eastern part of town: Dungannon Park and Windmill Wood Park. Dungannon sprang up in

1548-653: The town became the seat of the new district of the Dungannon and South Tyrone Borough Council . In 1782, the town was the location where the independence of the Irish Parliament was declared by members of the Protestant Ascendancy who controlled the parliament at the time. The castle was partially excavated in October 2007 by the Channel 4 archaeological show Time Team , uncovering part of

1591-496: The town to Belfast . There is an Ulsterbus town bus service that runs daily that serves the town's suburbs, formerly operated by the Optare Solo buses. The nearest railway station is Portadown on Northern Ireland Railways . The Irish gauge 1,600 mm ( 5 ft 3 in ) Portadown, Dungannon and Omagh Junction Railway (PD&O) linked the town with Portadown from 1858 and Omagh from 1861, completing

1634-405: The year. Many of the facilities are shared by the wider community such as primary schools, youth organisations, soccer, hockey and gaelic clubs. 'The Old Grey Mother' is an affectionate name for the school, referring to the older part of the current building, which is both old (1789) and grey, as the original sandstone was first cement rendered to prevent water ingress which then became stained over

1677-687: Was born in Donaghmore, County Tyrone , Ireland, on 15 August 1815 and attended the nearby Royal School, Dungannon , where a blue plaque was unveiled in his memory on 7 October 2014, by the Ulster History Circle . Dilworth was elected to the first Auckland Provincial Council for the Southern Division electorate in August 1853 . He remained a member of the provincial council until September 1861. The Dilworth Trust Board

1720-439: Was closed by Dungannon (Oaks Park) Stadium Greyhound Racing Limited who had taken over the track in 1995 and saw the opportunity to make a substantial profit by developing the site. Dungannon Rugby FC , founded in 1873, was one of the first towns in Ireland to form a rugby club. James Dilworth James Dilworth (15 August 1815 – 23 December 1894) was a New Zealand farmer, investor, speculator and philanthropist. He

1763-784: Was founded as a boys school but became coed in 1986 when the school amalgamated with the Dungannon High School for Girls . It has four 'sister' schools, The Royal School, Armagh in Armagh , County Armagh , The Enniskillen Royal Grammar School in Enniskillen , County Fermanagh , The Royal School Cavan in County Cavan , and the Royal and Prior School in Raphoe , County Donegal . The original intention had been to have

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1806-516: Was succeeded by David Burnett, previously deputy head of a boys' grammar school in Essex. The school has consistently figured in the top 10 grammar schools in Northern Ireland and the top 150 schools in the UK at Advanced Level . On 11 March 2015 Prince Richard, Duke of Gloucester , visited the school to join in its 400-year celebrations. He unveiled a plaque, and signed the visitor book along with raising

1849-576: Was the benefactor of the estate of Dilworth, who received his legal advice from the solicitor Samuel Jackson . The trust funds Dilworth School a full boarding school for boys in Auckland , New Zealand. A school where all boys are on full scholarships covering all education and boarding costs. In 2018, Dilworth was posthumously inducted into the New Zealand Business Hall of Fame . This New Zealand biographical article

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