The King's Hospital is a Church of Ireland co-educational fee-paying boarding and day school situated in Palmerstown, Dublin, Ireland.
Founded in 1669, it is one of the oldest schools in Ireland and was also known as the Blue Coat School.[1] Although priority is given to those of the main Protestant tradition, as a Christian school, it is attended by students of other denominations and faiths. The school's colours are navy and gold. The school crest is three burning castles with the date "1669", almost identical to the crest for Dublin city.[2] The current headmaster is Michael Hall.[3]
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The school was founded in 1669 as The Hospital and Free School of King Charles II and was located in Queen Street, Dublin. King's Hospital was a continuation of the old Free School of Dublin.[4] On 5 May 1674, the school opened with 60 pupils, including 3 girls.[5] From 1783 to 1971, the school was located in Blackhall Place, Dublin, currently the headquarters of the Law Society of Ireland.
The take-over of Morgan’s School (1957) contributed to steadily increasing numbers of students, and by 1970, a need for extra space and facilities led to the move from the city centre to a modern purpose-built school set in its own 100-acre (400,000 m2) site on the banks of the River Liffey in Palmerstown, County Dublin.
The annual calendar includes a number of special days and events forming part of the school tradition. One of these is Charter Day, when the Headmaster or Headmistress delivers an annual address to the school, and academic prizes are presented, commemorating the granting of the School's Charter in 1671.
Sports Day, Harvest Festival, Carol Service and Confirmation are other significant occasions, to which parents and past pupils are welcome. There is an open invitation on Sundays to attend worship according to the rites of the Church of Ireland. Morning assembly is compulsory for all pupils, and Sunday service is compulsory for boarders.
The school is co-educational and caters for some 700 pupils, roughly half day pupils and half boarders. The King’s Hospital has students from all over Ireland and from overseas. Students from Germany and Spain are the most common international students.
The School is divided into five boarding houses: Bluecoat, Mercer, Grace, Morgan and Ormonde and five day pupil houses. Each boarding house has its own resident housemaster or housemistress.
The school's main sports are rugby, cricket and hockey, but students can participate in various other sports inside and outside of the school, during the school year, including athletics, basketball, canoeing, squash, dressage, martial arts, rowing, swimming, and tennis.
