Tommy Bowe

A former pupil of The Royal School, Armagh, Northern Ireland, he was a Schoolboy provincial full-back, only converting to wing whilst playing for Ireland U-21s. His form both here and at Irish club level prompted a call-up to the Ulster squad at the end of the 2003-2004 season, scoring on his debut against Connacht and soon made his name as an Ulster regular. He became, and remains, a firm crowd favourite at Ravenhill and won Guinness Ulster Rugby Personality of the Year Award at the Ulster Rugby Awards Dinner in May 2005. Bowe made his international debut against the USA during the 2004 IRB Autumn Internationals becoming the first player from County Monaghan to win an Ireland cap since the 1920s. On 21 April 2009, past pupil Tommy Bowe was named as a member of the British and Irish Lions for the 2009 tour to South Africa. Congratulations Tommy! For further details - click here.

Admiral Dryer
Son of the Director of the Armagh Observatory. Attended school 1888-1890 before joining the Royal N avy in 1891. He rose repidly through the naval command structure. As a captain he commanded H.M.S. Iron Duke during the Battle of Jutland in 1916. In 1923 he was made Rear-Admiral before rising to full Admiral in 1932. Following the First World War he represented Britain on the League of Nations Military Committee.
 

Viscount Castlereagh
At school 1777-1781, a letter home during this time stated that, "I am highest in my class - no boy shall get above me". He was first elected as an M.P. in 1790 and served as chief Secretary for Ireland 1798-1801. This was followed by two spells as the Secretary for war 1805/1806 and 1807/1809. After fighting a duel with George Canning, the Foreign Secretary, both men were "temporarily retired" from Politics. Caetlereagh however, was soon back in politics and served as Foreign Sectetary 1812-1822 during which time he successfully represented British interests during and after the Napoleonic war. Castlereagh committed suicide in 1822.
 

Arthur Rambault
At school 1874-1877. Rambault was senior science master at Armagh Royal before becoming Professor of Astronomy at Trinity College Dublin and the Royal Astronomer of Ireland 1892-1897. He then became Professor of Astronomy at Oxford University 1897-1923.

Leonard Gillespie
At school during the 1770's. He started his naval career as a surgeon aboard H.M.S. Royal Oak in 1777. Various postings followed before he was appointed Physician General to the fleet under Admiral Nelson in 1804 abroad H.M.S. Victory.

Richard and Arthur Wellesley
Richard was at school during the 1770's. He twice held the position of Lord Lieutenant of Ireland and was Governor General of India in 1798. It is believed that his younger brother Arthur, the Duke of Wellington, who defeated Napoleon at Waterloo in 1815 and later served as Prime Minister was also at school for a short time, also in the 177O's. They were the sons of the Earl of Mornington. ( Richard Wellesley: left. Arthur Wellesley: right)

Major General Packenham
At school 1788-1794. Pakenham fought under Wellington in the Peninsular War againstNapoleonic France. He was promoted to Major- General and in 1814 was sent to fight the Americans, with whom Britain had been at war since 1812. Here he laid siege to New Orleans which was under the command of General Andrew Jackson. Pakenham was killed leading an attack on the city fifteen days after Britain and America had ended the war, neither side having received word of the peace.

Thomas Preston (1860−1900)

When leading spectroscopists in Europe and America were engaged, during 1897, in exploring the recently-discovered Zeeman Effect, they were overtaken by a relatively obscure physicist working in Dublin. Thomas Preston had previously been known only for his excellent textbooks. His achievement in discovering the Anomalous Zeeman Effect was immediately recognized, but his untimely death has deprived posterity until now of a full account of his life and qualities.

Thomas Preston was awarded the second Boyle Medal of the Society, in 1899, the same year as the first Medal had been awarded to George Johnstone Stoney. Unfortunately, although he was only 39 years old, Preston was too ill to attend the presentation, and he died the following year.

He was born at Ballyhagan, Kilmore, Co. Armagh, and studied for the examinations of the Royal University of Ireland before enrolling in Trinity College Dublin, where he graduated with honours in both mathematics and experimental science in 1885. He continued his mathematical studies while teaching at University College Dublin, and he was appointed Professor of Natural Philosophy there in 1891.

Preston is best known in the history of science for his work on the splitting of spectral lines in the presence of a strong magnetic field. Dutch physicist, Pieter Zeeman (1865–1943) had found in 1896 that the spectral lines of certain elements were split into doublets and triplets. This splitting could be explained by classical theory. However, Preston reported in an important paper published in The Scientific Transactions of the Royal Dublin Society, read on 22 December 1897, and published the following April, that he had obtained results more complicated than Zeeman had reported. Following this up further, he reported in second paper in the RDS Scientific Transactions, read on 18 January 1899, and published the following June, that he had found results that were ‘very startling’ and appeared ‘quite contrary to all theoretical expectations’. He had discovered what is called the Anomalous Zeeman Effect, which challenged classical theories. The full explanation had to wait for the theory of relativity and the introduction of quantum mechanics, which were to shake the rigid framework of Newtonian conceptions of absolute time and space, and Preston’s results were an important step in this development. He went on to establish empirical rules for spectral lines, though he couldn’t give a theoretical explanation, and these rules are still associated with his name.

Preston was the author of two renowned textbooks in physics: The Theory of Light (1890), and The Theory of Heat (1894), both of which reached several editions, and remained in use long after his death. He was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society in 1898. We can only speculate on what he might have achieved had he been granted a longer life.

Frank Harris ( 18?? )

Journalist and author ( Biography of Oscar Wilde ) Not mentioned in Register, probably because of his reputation which stemmed from his autobiography “ My Life and Loves “ which was banned because of its salacious content. Actually the book can be bought freely and is innocuous by modern standards - and includes an account of his time at the Royal School, probably the Preparatory Department, before being sent off to a minor public school in Wales.

Sir Maurice Fitzmaurice - Chief Engineer for the City of London. Chief Engineer for Egypt

Sir John Magowan - British Ambassador to Venezuela

Basil Deane - Musicologist and Chairman of the Arts council Of GB

John Taylor - Lord Kilclooney - Peer, MLA, Deputy Leader of the Unionist party.

Reg. Empey - Sir Reg. Empey - Former Acting First Minister, N.I. Assembly

Bruce Robinson - Permanent Secretary , Dept. Of E.T.I.

Sporting Connections : Some eighteen Irish Rugby Internationals , notably :-

Richard ( Dickie ) Lloyd - (Also played County cricket) Represented Ireland between 1912 and 1920.

William McCrum - The penalty Kick

John ( Jack ) Siggins - Irish International between the wars. Also British Lion.

James ( Jimmy ) Nelson - International in 40's and early 50's. British Lion. President IRFU

Brian McCall  - Brigadier in British Army - International in 80's
Also captained British Army and Combined Services

Tommy Bowe  - Current International