Belfast Royal Academy

The Academy was founded in 1785 by Rev. Dr. James Crombie. Originally situated near St Anne's Parish Church in what is now Academy Street, it moved to its current location on the Cliftonville Road in 1880. For more than a century the school was named Belfast Academy. On 27 November 1887, Queen Victoria granted permission for the school to style itself Belfast Royal Academy, and its name was officially changed in November 1888.[2]

• Rev. James Crombie, DD, (Universities of St Andrews and Glasgow) (1785–1790)[4]
• Rev. William Bruce, DD, (Trinity College, Dublin and the University of Glasgow) (1790–1822)
• Rev. James Gray, DD, (1822–1826)[4]
• Rev. Reuben John Bryce, MA, LLD, (University of Glasgow) (1826–1880)[4]
• Dr William Collier, LLD, (Trinity College, Dublin) (1880–1890)[4]
• Mr T. W. Foster, MA, (Trinity College, Dublin) (1890–1898)[4]
• Mr T. R. Collier, MA, (Queen's College, Belfast) (1898–1923)[4]
• Mr Alexander Foster (rugby union) MA, (Queen's University, Belfast) (1923–1942)[4]
• Mr John Darbyshire, MA, (University of Liverpool) (1943–1968)[4][5]
• Mr Louis Lord, MA, (Trinity College, Dublin) (1968–1980)[4][5]
• Mr William Sillery, MA, (St. Catharine's College, Cambridge) (1980–2000)[4][5]
• Mr William Young, MA, (Queen's University, Belfast) (2000–2008)[4][5]
• Mr Moore Dickson, MA, (Pembroke College, Cambridge) (2009–2017)[5]
• Mrs Hilary Woods, BSc, (Stranmillis College, Belfast and the University of Ulster) (2017– )[5]

The school crest comprises the rose, the thistle and the shamrock, along with the Royal Coat of Arms of the United Kingdom, the Arms of the City of Belfast and those of the Province of Ulster. The three significant dates mark the foundation of the school in 1785, the transfer to the present site in 1880 and the approval by Queen Victoria of the designation Belfast Royal Academy in 1888.[2]

The school's preparatory department, Ben Madigan Preparatory School, is located on the Antrim Road in the shadow of Cave Hill. Originally opened in 1829, it moved to its current site in 1965. A pre-prep was opened in 1998.

When a pupil enters the Academy he or she is placed into one of the four houses: Shaw, Currie, Pottinger or Cairns, named after distinguished past pupils: James Shaw, Donald Currie, Henry Pottinger, and Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns, for whom the house colours are yellow, green, red, and blue, respectively; each pupil must wear a tie with a stripe of his or her house colour on it.[2]

As a pupil progresses through the Academy, he or she can earn honours through excellence in sport and/or the arts. There are minor honours, allowing a pupil to wear a minor honours tie, (green owls) intermediate honours (blue owls) and major honours (gold owls). In addition, a pupil gaining intermediate honours is entitled to wear a black blazer with maroon braid surrounding a golden school badge. A pupil gaining major honours in sport is entitled to wear a distinctive maroon blazer with blue braid and a gold school badge. Pupils who receive major honours in the arts, be it for music, drama, or art & design are entitled to wear a blue blazer with maroon braid and a gold school badge. The honour, e.g. Cricket XI 2004 or Music 2002, is stitched in gold letters under the badge for both intermediate and major honours.

• Belfast Royal Academy: 1785–1935, by Hugh Jackman
• Belfast Royal Academy: The First Century 1785–1885, by A.T.Q. Stewart
• Belfast Royal Academy: The Second Century 1885–1985, by Edward McCamley

• Official school website
• Ben Madigan website
• BRA and the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme
• BRA Old Boys' Association