![Ulster King of Arms-Lant's Roll](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/9f/Ulster_King_of_Arms-Lant%27s_Roll.jpg)
The Genealogical Office is an office of the
Government of Ireland
The Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas na hÉireann) is the cabinet that exercises executive authority in Ireland.
The Constitution of Ireland vests executive authority in a government which is headed by the , the head of government. The governm ...
containing genealogical records. It includes the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland ( ga, Príomh Aralt na hÉireann),
the authority in
Ireland
Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...
for
heraldry
Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known branch ...
. The Chief Herald authorises the granting of
arms
Arms or ARMS may refer to:
*Arm or arms, the upper limbs of the body
Arm, Arms, or ARMS may also refer to:
People
* Ida A. T. Arms (1856–1931), American missionary-educator, temperance leader
Coat of arms or weapons
*Armaments or weapons
**Fi ...
to Irish bodies and
Irish people
The Irish ( ga, Muintir na hÉireann or ''Na hÉireannaigh'') are an ethnic group and nation native to the island of Ireland, who share a common history and culture. There have been humans in Ireland for about 33,000 years, and it has been c ...
, including
descendants of emigrants. The office was constituted on 1 April 1943 as successor to the
Ulster King of Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the Provincial King of Arms at the College of Heralds with jurisdiction over England north of the Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King of Arms is th ...
, established during the
Tudor period of the
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed from ...
in 1552. The Ulster King of Arms' duties were taken over by the
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms
Norroy and Ulster King of Arms is the Provincial King of Arms at the College of Heralds with jurisdiction over England north of the River Trent, Trent and Northern Ireland. The two offices of Norroy and Ulster were formerly separate. Norroy King ...
.
The Genealogical Office was formerly based in
Dublin Castle
Dublin Castle ( ga, Caisleán Bhaile Átha Cliath) is a former Motte-and-bailey castle and current Irish government complex and conference centre. It was chosen for its position at the highest point of central Dublin.
Until 1922 it was the se ...
.
[The Genealogical Office, Dublin Castle]
Burke's Peerage and Gentry
Burke's Peerage Limited is a British genealogical publisher founded in 1826, when the Irish genealogist John Burke began releasing books devoted to the ancestry and heraldry of the peerage, baronetage, knightage and landed gentry of Great ...
It was made part of the
Department of Education
An education ministry is a national or subnational government agency politically responsible for education. Various other names are commonly used to identify such agencies, such as Ministry of Education, Department of Education, and Ministry of Pub ...
in 1943. The office later relocated to the
National Library of Ireland
The National Library of Ireland (NLI; ga, Leabharlann Náisiúnta na hÉireann) is the Republic of Ireland's national library located in Dublin, in a building designed by Thomas Newenham Deane. The mission of the National Library of Ireland is ...
(NLI),
and was formally recognised as part of the NLI in 1997.
[National Cultural Institutions Act, 1997 §13: Provisions relating to genealogy and heraldry.]
In 2002,
it was transferred from Education to the
Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism.
Jurisdiction
The tradition of the Irish abroad seeking grants of arms from the Chief Herald continues to the present. The office accepts petitions for
grants of arms from the following:
*A citizen of Ireland or a person who has an entitlement to become a citizen.
*A person resident in the state for at least the five-year period immediately before the date of the application.
*A public or local authority, corporate body or other entity which has been located or functioning in Ireland for at least five years.
*An individual, corporate body or other entity, not resident or located in Ireland but who or which has substantial historical, cultural, educational, financial or ancestral connections with Ireland.
An application for a grant of arms should be made to the Chief Herald, on a prescribed form, setting out, in the case of a personal application, basic personal information and accompanied by supporting certificates or other appropriate documents. For a grant of arms to a corporate body or other entity, the application should include information about the legal status (if any) of the organisation, its structure, its activities and business, the length of time during which it has operated and, if relevant, information about membership. Where appropriate, a certified copy of the resolution of the council, board, or other controlling body should be submitted. If an application appears to be in order the matter is considered in detail by a herald of arms who will consult with the applicant about possible designs. A preliminary painting is then made for the approval of the applicant who will also be shown a draft of the letters patent. The final document is issued on vellum and includes a hand-painted exemplification of the arms. The grant of arms is recorded in the Register of Arms and is a matter of public record.
In November 1945 the Chief Herald granted the
coat of arms of Ireland
)
, supporters =
, compartment =
, motto =
, orders =
, other_elements =
, earlier_versions =
, use = The harp is used on all Acts of Oireachtas; the seal of the President; the cover of Iri ...
to the state itself.
At the request of the Irish government grants of arms were made to
US presidents
The president of the United States is the head of state and head of government of the United States, indirectly elected to a four-year term via the Electoral College. The officeholder leads the executive branch of the federal government a ...
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald Kennedy (May 29, 1917 – November 22, 1963), often referred to by his initials JFK and the nickname Jack, was an American politician who served as the 35th president of the United States from 1961 until his assassination ...
in 1963 and
Bill Clinton
William Jefferson Clinton ( né Blythe III; born August 19, 1946) is an American politician who served as the 42nd president of the United States from 1993 to 2001. He previously served as governor of Arkansas from 1979 to 1981 and agai ...
in 1995.{{efn, Mr Clinton's arms are blazoned thus: Or a lion rampant gules charged with three bars argent holding in the dexter paw a branch of olive proper between in the dexter chief and sinister base a cross crosslet fitchée sable and in the sinister chief and dexter base a shamrock slipped vert.
And the Crest: An anchor erect azure on the stock the letters SPES argent.
With the Motto: ''An leon do bheir an chraobh'' (English: The lion who bears away the branch)
Titles of nobility
Article 40.2.1 of the Constitution of Ireland prohibits the conferral of a new
title of nobility
Nobility is a social class found in many societies that have an aristocracy. It is normally ranked immediately below royalty. Nobility has often been an estate of the realm with many exclusive functions and characteristics. The characteristi ...
by the State, and Article 40.2.2 prohibits acceptance by any citizen of any title of nobility or of honour "without the prior approval of the Government."
The Constitution does not prohibit the granting of honours, other than titles of nobility, by the State. The Constitution is also silent as to untitled nobility. The Government acknowledges titles of nobility that have in the past derived from the
British Crown
The Crown is the state (polity), state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, British Overseas Territories, overseas territories, Provinces and territorie ...
as the ''
fount of honour The fount of honour ( la, fons honorum) is a person, who, by virtue of his or her official position, has the exclusive right of conferring legitimate titles of nobility and orders of chivalry on other persons.
Origin
During the High Middle Ages, ...
'' then exercising sovereignty over Ireland, and in fact, such titles continue to be mentioned in confirmations of arms by the Chief Herald of Ireland.
Chiefs of the Name
{{See also, Gaelic nobility of Ireland, Chief of the Name
When the
Kingdom of Ireland
The Kingdom of Ireland ( ga, label=Classical Irish, an Ríoghacht Éireann; ga, label=Modern Irish, an Ríocht Éireann, ) was a monarchy on the island of Ireland that was a client state of England and then of Great Britain. It existed from ...
was created in 1541, the Dublin administration wanted to involve the Gaelic chiefs in the new entity, creating new titles for them such as the
Baron Upper Ossory
Baron Upper Ossory was a title in the Peerage of Ireland. It was created on 11 June 1541 for Barnaby Fitzpatrick. This was in pursuance of the Surrender and regrant policy of King Henry VIII. Under the policy, Gaelic chiefs were actively encou ...
,
Earl of Tyrone
The Earl of Tyrone is a title created three times in the Peerage of Ireland.
It was first created as part of the Tudor attempt to establish a uniform social structure in Ireland by converting the Gaelic kings and chiefs into hereditary nobles of t ...
, or the
Barons Inchiquin. In the process, they were granted new coats of arms from 1552. The associated policy of
surrender and regrant
During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-feudal system under the English l ...
involved a change to succession to a title by
primogeniture
Primogeniture ( ) is the right, by law or custom, of the firstborn legitimate child to inherit the parent's entire or main estate in preference to shared inheritance among all or some children, any illegitimate child or any collateral relativ ...
, and not by
tanistry
Tanistry is a Gaelic system for passing on titles and lands. In this system the Tanist ( ga, Tánaiste; gd, Tànaiste; gv, Tanishtey) is the office of heir-apparent, or second-in-command, among the (royal) Gaelic patrilineal dynasties of Ir ...
where a group of male cousins of a chief were eligible to succeed by election. This was accepted by the new title-holders, but not by some of their cousins. Thereafter the chiefs of the name succeeded by primogeniture for several centuries, in a similar way to the clan chiefs in
Scotland
Scotland (, ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a border with England to the southeast and is otherwise surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean to the ...
.{{citation needed, date=November 2021
Many other clan chiefs were never given formal titles or knighthoods from the Kingdom of Ireland, but were issued with arms and usually registered their genealogies with the heralds in Dublin, and became a significant part of the
landed gentry
The landed gentry, or the ''gentry'', is a largely historical British social class of landowners who could live entirely from rental income, or at least had a country estate. While distinct from, and socially below, the British peerage, th ...
.{{citation needed, date=November 2021
After the
Battle of Kinsale
The siege of Kinsale, or Battle of Kinsale ( ga, Léigear/Cath Chionn tSáile), was the ultimate battle in England's conquest of Gaelic Ireland, commencing in October 1601, near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and at the climax of t ...
in 1601 and the subsequent
Flight of the Earls
The Flight of the Earls ( ir, Imeacht na nIarlaí)In Irish, the neutral term ''Imeacht'' is usually used i.e. the ''Departure of the Earls''. The term 'Flight' is translated 'Teitheadh na nIarlaí' and is sometimes seen. took place in Sep ...
, some dozens of the old Gaelic
aristocracy
Aristocracy (, ) is a form of government that places strength in the hands of a small, privileged ruling class, the aristocracy (class), aristocrats. The term derives from the el, αριστοκρατία (), meaning 'rule of the best'.
At t ...
scattered throughout
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
Europe. Some of their descendants were granted courtesy recognition in 1943 by the Chief Herald as
Chiefs of the Name
The Chief of the Name, or in older English usage Captain of his Nation, is the recognised head of a family or clan (''fine'' in Irish and Scottish Gaelic). The term has sometimes been used as a title in Ireland and Scotland.
In Ireland
In Eliz ...
, signifying that they were the senior male line descendant from the last recognised chief of the name.{{citation needed, date=November 2021
The issue of the chiefs' succession arose again after the creation of the Chief Herald of Ireland in 1943. Some Chiefs of the Name favoured tanistry, while others saw primogeniture as a more practical system.{{citation needed, date=November 2021 In an address to the Irish Senate in December 2006,
John O'Donoghue then
Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism, expressed the opinion that it was a matter for those who bore these titles to decide on the system they used for succession, but that he found it strange that an English system had been used for the succession of titles originally created under a native Irish system.{{citation needed, date=November 2021
Following advice from the Attorney General that the recognition of Chiefs of the Name was without basis in law, the practice of courtesy recognition was abandoned in July 2003.{{citation needed, date=November 2021
Questions over legal status of the office
Due reportedly to uncertainty concerning the legal validity of grants of arms in the Republic of Ireland, the post of Chief Herald remained vacant from September 2003 until August 2005. It had been assumed that the prerogatives of the British Crown, including the power to grant arms, had been inherited after Irish independence in 1922.
While many functions had passed under the
Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922
The Irish Free State (Agreement) Act 1922 (12 & 13 Geo. 5 c. 4) was an Act of the British Parliament passed on 31 March 1922. It gave the force of law to the Anglo-Irish Treaty, which was scheduled to the Act.
Main provisions
Section 1(1) of th ...
to the then
Provisional Government of the Irish Free State
The Provisional Government of Ireland ( ga, Rialtas Sealadach na hÉireann) was the provisional government for the administration of Southern Ireland from 16 January 1922 to 5 December 1922. It was a transitional administration for the period bet ...
in April 1922, the pre-existing office of the Ulster King of Arms continued unchanged until 1943.
In May 2005 the government enacted section 13 of the
National Cultural Institutions Act 1997
National may refer to:
Common uses
* Nation or country
** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen
Places in the United States
* National, Maryland, c ...
. This enables the Board of the National Library to "designate a member of its staff to perform the duty of researching, granting and confirming coats of arms and such member shall use the appellation Chief Herald of Ireland or, in the Irish language, Príomh-Aralt na hÉireann, while performing such duties". While this was intended to legitimise the granting of arms in Ireland, it actually initiated a debate as to whether any grants made since 1943 were valid. These would include the 1945 grant of the
coat of arms of Ireland
)
, supporters =
, compartment =
, motto =
, orders =
, other_elements =
, earlier_versions =
, use = The harp is used on all Acts of Oireachtas; the seal of the President; the cover of Iri ...
to the state itself.
In May 2006 the
Genealogy & Heraldry Bill[Genealogy & Heraldry Bill](_blank)
2006. was introduced into
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house).
It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...
to reform the Office and provide a firm legal basis for grants and confirmations of arms.
The Bill was withdrawn on 12 December 2006 with the consent of the sponsoring senator and was referred to the board of the
National Library
A national library is a library established by a government as a country's preeminent repository of information. Unlike public library, public libraries, these rarely allow citizens to borrow books. Often, they include numerous rare, valuable, o ...
for consideration by John O'Donoghue, the then Minister for Arts, Sport and Tourism.
In September 2007 a notice was added to the National Library website noting the suspension of grants of arms until the legal situation was clarified. Following the receipt of legal advice, the Board of the National Library was "satisfied that it can exercise the heraldic powers conferred on it by the 1997 Act", and grants are again being made.
The Board did, however, note that "doubts exist regarding the legal basis of heraldic functions exercised in the State prior to the establishment of the Board" and that "with minor amendment, the wording of the Act could be made more succinct".
While the issue of the legality of grants of arms by the Chief Herald has been resolved, no penalties or jurisdiction have yet been legislated for to discourage anyone from designing and using a new coat of arms. The specific emblazonments of self-designed arms may be protected by the current
copyright law of Ireland
Copyright law of Ireland is applicable to most typical copyright situations (films, sound recordings books etc.). Protection expires 70 years after the death of the author/creator. Irish law includes a provision for "fair dealing," similar to tha ...
.
Chief Heralds
{{unreferenced section, date=November 2021
*
Edward McLysaght
Edgeworth Lysaght, later Edward Anthony Edgeworth Lysaght, and from 1920 Edward MacLysaght ( ga, Éamonn Mac Giolla Iasachta; 6 November 1887 – 4 March 1986) was a genealogist of twentieth century Ireland. His numerous books on Irish surnames b ...
(1943–54)
*
Gerard Slevin Gerard Slevin (1 November 1919 – 18 January 1997) was born in Cork, Ireland. Slevin was assistant to Edward McLysaght, the Chief Herald of Ireland, from 1944 to 1954, at which time he succeeded McLysaght. He held this position for 27 years until ...
(1954–81)
* Donal Begley (1981–95)
* Patricia Donlon (1995–97)
* Brendan O Donoghue (1997–2003)
* Post vacant 2003–05
* Fergus Gillespie (2005–2009)
* Collette Byrne (2009–2010)
* Colette O'Flaherty (2010–)
Costs of granting and preparing arms
An applicant will be expected to provide
genealogical
Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinsh ...
information including birth, marriage and death certificates back to an ancestor that
bore arms. Alternatively, an entirely new grant of arms can be discussed and designed.
[''Applying for a grant of Arms'' booklet (National Library of Ireland, bi-lingual, undated)] Since 7 October 2013 the basic cost of a Grant of Arms (or confirmation of a prior grant) has been:
* Individual €4,400
* Corporate bodies (Commercial) €17,250
* Local authorities, government offices and agencies €8,600
* Schools, clubs, professional associations and other non-profit organizations €8,600
The sum of €400 is payable when lodging the application; half of the remaining fee is payable when work on the design begins, and the balance must be paid before work on the actual grant of arms is put in hand by the Herald Painter.
Further reading
* {{cite book, last=Cox, first=Noel, title=Constitutional Paradigms and the Stability of States , chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=TUY3DAAAQBAJ&pg=PA163, year=2016, publisher=Routledge , isbn=9781317161653 , pages=163–187 , chapter=6.4 Constitutions in liberal states – a change of ''Grundnorm'': Ireland
*
Cox, Noel (2007). “The Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland and continuity of legal authority”. Dublin University Law Journal 29:84-110
* {{cite book, last=Hood, first=Susan, title=Royal Roots, Republican Inheritance: The Survival of the Office of Arms, year=2002, publisher=Woodfield Press, isbn=9780953429332
References
{{Reflist
External links
Chief Herald of Ireland— Critical essay on status of the Office of the Chief Herald.
Full text and explanatory memorandumof Genealogy & Heraldry Bill, 2006.
{{Irish genealogy
{{Heraldic Authorities
Heraldic authorities
Irish genealogy
Government agencies established in 1943