Belfast Royal Academy - Notable Alumni

Notable Alumni

See also: Category:People educated at the Belfast Royal Academy

• William Hamilton Drummond (1778–1865), Presbyterian minister and poet
• Alexander Mitchell (1780–1868), blind civil engineer and inventor of the screw-pile lighthouse
• James Lawson Drummond (1783–1853), Professor of Anatomy and Medical Physiology, Royal Belfast Academical Institution, 1819–1849
• Lieutenant-General Sir Henry Pottinger (1789–1856), Envoy and Plenipotentiary to China, 1840–1843, first Governor of Hong Kong, 1843–1844, and Governor of Madras, 1847–1854
• William Bruce (1790–1868), Presbyterian minister
• John Thomas Romney Robinson (1792–1882), Director, Armagh Observatory, 1823–1882
• George Benn (1801–1882), historian of Belfast, and distiller
• Robert Patterson FRS (1802–1872), naturalist
• Sir James Emerson Tennent (1804–1869) FRS politician and traveller
• Sir Samuel Ferguson (1810–1886), poet, barrister and antiquarian
• Thomas Andrews (1813–1885), Professor of Chemistry, Queen's College, Belfast, 1845–1879, and physician
• Sir William Ewart (1817–1889), linen manufacturer
• Hugh Cairns, 1st Earl Cairns (1819–1885), Lord Chancellor, 1868, 1874–1880
• Abeer MacIntyre (born 1964), Journalist, Broadcaster and Charity Worker
• John Mulholland, 1st Baron Dunleath (1819–1895), textile manufacturer
• James Witherow (1824–1890), Moderator of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church in Ireland, 1878–1890, and writer
• Sir Donald Currie (1825–1909), founder and owner, Castle Shipping Line, 1862–1900, and Union-Castle Line, 1900–1909, and politician
• Joseph Gillis Biggar (1828–1890), Irish Home Rule MP for County Cavan, 1874–1890
• James Bryce, 1st Viscount Bryce (1838–1922), jurist, historian and politician.
• Charles Williams (1838–1904), first Editor, Evening Standard, 1860–1863, first Editor, Evening News, 1881–1884, and war correspondent
• John Atkinson, Baron Atkinson (1844–1932), Lord of Appeal in Ordinary
• James Johnston Shaw (1845–1910), Whately Professor of Political Economy, Trinity College, Dublin, 1876–1891, judge, and Presbyterian minister
• Bowman Malcolm (1854–1933), railway, civil and mechanical engineer
• Robert Henry Charles (1855–1931), clergyman and biblical scholar
• Owen Thomas Lloyd Crossley (1860– 1926), Bishop of Auckland, 1911–1913
• Samuel Cunningham (1862–1946), businessman and Senator of the Parliament of Northern Ireland, 1921–1945
• Frederick Donnan (1870–1956), Professor of Physical Chemistry, and Director, Muspratt Laboratory of Physical Chemistry, University of Liverpool, 1904–1913, and Professor of General Chemistry, University College London, 1913–1937
• Major General Sir Eric Girdwood KBE (1876–1963) Commandant of the Royal Military College Sandhurst and General Officer Commanding Northern Ireland District.
• Sir Francis Evans (1897–1983), Ambassador to Israel, 1952–1954, Ambassador to Argentina, 1954–1957, and Agent for the Government of Northern Ireland in London, 1962–1966
• John Ward Armstrong (1915–1987), Dean of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, 1958–1968, Bishop of Cashel, Emly, Waterford and Lismore, 1968–1977, Bishop of Cashel and Ossory, 1977–1980, and Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, 1980–1986
• Douglas Gageby (1918–2004), Editor, Evening Press, 1954–1963, and Editor, Irish Times, 1963–1986
• Sir Donald Murray (born 1923), Lord Justice of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland
• Jack Kyle (born 1925), Ireland and British Lion rugby union player
• John Cole (born 1928), Political Editor, BBC, 1981–1992
• Robin Eames, Baron Eames of Armagh (born 1937), Archbishop of Armagh and Primate of All Ireland, 1986–2006
• Denis Weaire, FRS Erasmus Smith's Professor of Natural and Experimental Philosophy, Trinity College, Dublin, and physicist
• James Stirling, CBE, FRS Jacksonian Professor of Natural Philosophy, University of Cambridge
• Colin McClelland (born 1944), journalist, Editor and Director "Sunday World" 1981–1994, co-manager Stiff Little Fingers 1977–1979
• Kate Hoey (born 1946), Minister for Sport, 1998–2001
• Sir Paul Girvan (born 1948), Lord Justice of Appeal of the Supreme Court of Northern Ireland
• Dame Nicola Brewer, DCMG, British High Commissioner to South Africa 2009–
• Basil McCrea UUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly
• Nelson McCausland DUP member of the Northern Ireland Assembly and Minister of Culture, Arts and Leisure 2009–
• P. Dean McFadden (born 1957) CMM, CD, Vice-Admiral and Commander of Canada Command
• Ali McMordie (born c.1957), musician, founding member of Stiff Little Fingers
• 'Timo' Anderson, CB, DSO, FRAes, RAF, Air Marshal and Director General of the Military Aviation Authority
• Ian White, MA, PhD, FREng, Master of Jesus College, Cambridge, van Eck Professor of Engineering, and Deputy Vice Chancellor University of Cambridge
• Paul Seawright (born 1965), photographer and academic
• William Crawley, BBC radio and television presenter
• Douglas Maddon, (born 1970), author and teacher
• Marty Smyth, professional poker player
• Peter Dickson, (born c.1957), radio presenter, television announcer
• Iain Henderson (born 1992), Ireland player