The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800)

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

government office. The holder was a deputy to the

Attorney-General for Ireland The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Irish and then (from the Act of Union 1800) United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on Irish legal matters. With the ...

, and advised

the Crown The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has differen ...

on Irish legal matters. On rare occasions, there was also a Deputy Attorney-General, who was distinct from the Solicitor-General. At least two holders of the office, Patrick Barnewall (1534–1550) and Sir Roger Wilbraham (1586-1603), played a leading role in Government, although in Barnewall's case this may be partly because he was also King's Serjeant. As with the

Solicitor General for England and Wales His Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the law officers of the Crown in the government of the United Kingdom. They are the deputy of the Attorney General, whose duty is to ad ...

, the Solicitor-General for Ireland was usually a barrister rather than a solicitor. The first record of a Solicitor General is in 1511, although the office may well be older than that since the records are incomplete. Early Solicitors almost always held the rank of

Serjeant-at-law A Serjeant-at-Law (SL), commonly known simply as a Serjeant, was a member of an order of barristers at the English and Irish Bar. The position of Serjeant-at-Law (''servientes ad legem''), or Sergeant-Counter, was centuries old; there are w ...

. In the sixteenth century a Principal Solicitor for Ireland shared the duties of the office: confusingly both were usually referred to as "the Solicitor". The Principal Solicitor might also be a Serjeant-at-law, as Richard Finglas was.

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen". Eli ...

thought poorly of her Irish-born Law Officers, and from 1584 onwards there was a practice, which lasted for several decades, of appointing English-born lawyers as Solicitor General. At least one of them, Sir Roger Wilbraham (in office 1586-1603), was a key figure in the Dublin government for many years. Unlike the Attorney General, he was not as a rule a member of the

Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...

, although he might be summoned by the Council to advise it. With the establishment of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State ( ga, Saorstát Éireann, , ; 6 December 192229 December 1937) was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-year Irish War of Independ ...

in 1922, the duties of both the Attorney General and Solicitor General ''for'' Ireland were taken over by the Attorney General ''of'' Ireland, and the office of Solicitor General was abolished, apparently as an economy measure. This led to complaints over many years about the undue burden of work which was placed on the Attorney General, whose office was seriously understaffed until the 1930s.

Solicitors-General for Ireland (1511–1922)

16th century

Thomas Rochfort Sir Thomas Rochfort (c.1450-1522) was a distinguished Irish judge and cleric who held the offices of Solicitor General for Ireland (he was the first recorded holder of that office), Master of the Rolls in Ireland, and Dean of St. Patrick's Cathed ...

: appointed 1511 * Thomas Luttrell: 9 September 1532 – 1534 * Patrick Barnewall: 17 October 1534 – 1550 * John Bathe: 16 October 1550 – 1554 * James Dowdall: 20 July 1554 – 1565 *

Nicholas Nugent Nicholas Nugent (c. 1525–1582) was an Anglo-Irish judge, who was hanged for treason by the government that appointed him. He had, before his downfall, enjoyed a highly successful career, holding office as Solicitor General for Ireland, Baron o ...

: 17 April 1565 – 1574 *

Richard Bellings Sir Richard Bellings (1613–1677) was a lawyer and political figure in 17th century Ireland and in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He is best known for his participation in Confederate Ireland, a short-lived independent Irish state, in which ...

: February 1574 – 1584 * Jesse Smythes: 7 July 1584 – 1586 * Roger Wilbraham: 11 February 1586 – 1603 Sir Roger Wilbraham 1553-1616

17th century

* Sir John Davies: 18 September 1603 – 1606 * Sir Robert Jacobe: 19 April 1606 – 1618 * Sir Richard Bolton: 31 December 1618 – 1622 * Sir Edward Bolton: 5 December 1622 – 1640 * Sir William Sambach: 8 June 1640 – ? *

William Ellice William is a masculine given name of Norman French origin.Hanks, Hardcastle and Hodges, ''Oxford Dictionary of First Names'', Oxford University Press, 2nd edition, , p. 276. It became very popular in the English language after the Norman conques ...

: 1657 – 1658 (Commonwealth) * Robert Shapcote: 1658 – 1660 (Commonwealth) * Sir John Temple: 10 July 1660 – 1689 *Sir Theobald Butler: 1689 – 25 July 1689 * Sir Richard Levinge, Bt 3 November 1689 – 1695 *

Alan Brodrick Alan Brodrick may refer to: * Alan Brodrick, 1st Viscount Midleton ( 1656–1728), Irish lawyer and politician * Alan Brodrick, 2nd Viscount Midleton (1702–1747), British peer and cricket patron * Alan Brodrick, 12th Viscount Midleton (born 194 ...

: 10 May 1695 – 1704

18th century

* Sir Richard Levinge, Bt: 4 April 1704 – 1709 * John Forster: 8 September 1709 – 24 December 1709 * William Whitshed: 24 December 1709 – 1711 * Francis Bernard: 4 June 1711 – 1714 * John Rogerson: 8 November 1714 – 14 May 1720 * Thomas Marlay: 13 October 1720 – 1727 * Robert Jocelyn: 5 April 1727 – 29 September 1730 * John Bowes: 29 September 1730 – 3 September 1739 *

St George Caulfeild St George Caulfeild (16 September 1697 – 17 May 1778) was Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was a popular and respected judge, who was known in old age as "the good old man".Ball, F. Elrington ''The Judges in Ireland 1221-1721'' John Murray Lond ...

: 24 September 1739 – 23 December 1741 * Warden Flood: 24 December 1741 – 27 August 1751 * Philip Tisdall: 27 August 1751 – 31 July 1760 * John Gore: 31 July 1760 – 24 August 1764 * Marcus Paterson: 29 August 1764 – 18 June 1770 *

Godfrey Lill Godfrey Lill (born 1719, died 1783 in Enniskillen) was an Irish politician, Solicitor-General for Ireland, and judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). He became the Member of Parliament for Fore in 1761 and Baltinglass in 1768. He was a ...

: 18 June 1770 – 1774 * John Scott: 13 July 1774 – 17 October 1777 * Robert Hellen: 31 October 1777 – 1779 * Hugh Carleton: 7 April 1779 – 30 April 1787 * Arthur Wolfe: 1 May 1787 – 16 July 1789 * John Toler: 16 July 1789 – 26 June 1798 * John Stewart: 26 June 1798 – 9 December 1799

19th century

* William Cusack-Smith: 6 December 1800 – 1801 * James McClelland: 17 December 1801 – 1803 * William Conynham Plunket: 22 October 1803 – 15 October 1805 *

Charles Kendal Bushe Charles Kendal Bushe (1767 – 10 July 1843), was an Irish lawyer and judge. Known as "silver-tongued Bushe" because of his eloquence,Healy, Maurice ''The Old Muster Circuit'' Michael Joseph Ltd. 1939 he was Solicitor-General for Ireland from ...

: 15 October 1805 – 14 February 1822 * Henry Joy: 20 February 1822 – 18 June 1827 * John Doherty: 18 June 1827 – 23 December 1830 *

Philip Cecil Crampton Philip Cecil Crampton PC (May 1783 in Dublin – 29 December 1862) was a judge, politician and Solicitor-General for Ireland. He was also a noted supporter of the cause of total abstinence from alcohol. He was born in Dublin, the fourth son ...

: 23 December 1830 – 21 October 1834 * Michael O'Loghlen: 21 October 1834 – 1834 *

Edward Pennefather Edward Pennefather PC, KC (22 October 1774 – 6 September 1847) was an Irish barrister, Law Officer and judge of the Victorian era, who held office as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. Early life Pennefather was born in Tipperary, the second ...

: 27 January 1835 – 1835 * Michael O'Loghlen: 29 April 1835 – 1835 * John Richards: 21 September 1835 – 10 November 1836 *

Stephen Woulfe Stephen Woulfe (1787 – 2 July 1840) was an Irish barrister and Whig politician. He served as Solicitor-General for Ireland in 1836 and as Attorney-General for Ireland in 1838. He was the first Roman Catholic to be appointed Chief Baron of the ...

: 10 November 1836 – 3 February 1837 *

Maziere Brady Sir Maziere Brady, 1st Baronet, PC (Ire) (20 July 1796 – 13 April 1871) was an Irish judge, notable for his exceptionally long, though not particularly distinguished tenure as Lord Chancellor of Ireland. Background Brady was born at his paren ...

: 3 February 1837 – February 1839 *

David Richard Pigot David Richard Pigot, PC, KC (c. 1796 – 22 December 1873) was one of the leading Irish judges of his time. His children included John Edward Pigot, a noted music collector and one of the founders of the National Gallery of Ireland. His grand ...

: 11 February 1839 – 14 August 1840 * Richard Moore: 14 August 1840 – 1841 *

21 September 1841 – 1841 * Joseph Devonsher Jackson: 10 November 1841 – 9 September 1842 * Thomas Cusack-Smith: 21 September 1842 – 1 November 1842 * Richard Wilson Greene: 1 November 1842 – 2 February 1846 * Abraham Brewster: 2 February 1846 – June 1846 *

James Henry Monahan James Henry Monahan (1803 – 8 December 1878) was one of the outstanding Irish judges of his time, and one of the first Irish Roman Catholics to achieve judicial eminence. He held office as Attorney General for Ireland and Chief Justice of the ...

: 16 July 1846 – 24 December 1847 * John Hatchell: 24 December 1847 – 23 September 1850 * Henry George Hughes: 26 September 1850 – February 1852 *

James Whiteside James Whiteside (12 August 1804 – 25 November 1876) was an Irish politician and judge. Background and education Whiteside was born at Delgany, County Wicklow, the son of William Whiteside, a clergyman of the Church of Ireland. His father w ...

: February 1852 – December 1852 *

William Keogh William Nicholas Keogh PC (1817– 30 September 1878) was an unpopular and controversial Irish politician and judge, whose name became a byword in Ireland for betraying one's political principles. Background He was born in Galway, son of Wi ...

: April 1853 – March 1855 * John FitzGerald: March 1855 – March 1856 *

Jonathan Christian Jonathan Christian, SL, QC, PC (I) (17 February 1808 in Carrick-on-Suir, County Tipperary – 29 October 1887 in Dublin), was an Irish judge. He served as Solicitor-General for Ireland from 1856 to 1858. He was a judge of the Court of Common Ple ...

: March 1856 – February 1858 * Henry George Hughes: February 1858 – 1858 * Edmund Hayes: 1858 – June 1859 * John George: June 1859 – 1859 * Rickard Deasy: 1859 – February 1860 * Thomas O'Hagan: February 1860 – 1861 *

James Anthony Lawson James Anthony Lawson, PC (Ire), QC (1817–1887) was an Irish academic, lawyer and judge. Background and education Lawson was born in Waterford. He was the eldest son of James Lawson and Mary Anthony, daughter of Joseph Anthony, and was educate ...

: 1861 – 1865 * Edward Sullivan: 1865 – June 1866 * Michael Morris: 3 August 1866 – 1 November 1866 *

Hedges Eyre Chatterton Hedges Eyre Chatterton (5 July 1819 – 30 August 1910) was an Irish Conservative Party Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom Parliament and subsequently Vice-Chancellor of Ireland. Biography He was born in Cork, the eldest son of Abra ...

: 8 November 1866 – 1867 * Robert Warren: 1867 – 1867 * Michael Harrison: 1867 – 1868 * John Thomas Ball: 1868 – 1868 * Henry Ormsby: 1868 – 1868 * Charles Robert Barry: 12 December 1868 – 26 January 1870 * Richard Dowse: 14 February 1870 – 13 January 1872 * Christopher Palles: 6 February 1872 – 5 November 1872 * Hugh Law: 18 November 1872 – February 1874 * Henry Ormsby: 12 March 1874 – 21 January 1875 * Hon. David Plunket: 29 January 1875 – 1877 * Gerald FitzGibbon: 3 March 1877 – 1878 * Hugh Holmes: 14 December 1878 – April 1880 * William Moore Johnson: 24 May 1880 – 17 November 1881 * Andrew Porter: 18 November 1881 – 3 January 1883 * John Naish: 9 January 1883 – 19 December 1883 * Samuel Walker: 19 December 1883 – 1885 * The MacDermot: 1885 – June 1885 * John Monroe: 3 July 1885 – November 1885 * John George Gibson: 1885 – January 1886 * The MacDermot: February 1886 – July 1886 * John George Gibson: August 1886 – 1887 * Peter O'Brien: 1887 – 1888 * Dodgson Hamilton Madden: 1888 – 1890 * John Atkinson: 1890 – 1892 *

Edward Carson Edward Henry Carson, 1st Baron Carson, PC, PC (Ire) (9 February 1854 – 22 October 1935), from 1900 to 1921 known as Sir Edward Carson, was an Irish unionist politician, barrister and judge, who served as the Attorney General and Solicito ...

: June 1892 – August 1892 *

Charles Hare Hemphill Charles Hare Hemphill, 1st Baron Hemphill, PC QC (August 1822 – 4 March 1908), was an Irish politician and barrister. Career Hemphill was born in County Tyrone, Ireland. He was the son of John and the novelist Barbara Hemphill. He was ...

: August 1892 – 1895 * William Kenny: 28 August 1895 – 1898 * Sir Dunbar Plunket Barton: 1898 – 1900

20th century

* George Wright: 30 January 1900 – 1903 * James Campbell: 8 July 1903 – 1905 *

Redmond Barry Sir Redmond Barry, (7 June 181323 November 1880), was a colonial judge in Victoria, Australia of Anglo-Irish origins. Barry was the inaugural Chancellor of the University of Melbourne, serving from 1853 until his death in 1880. He is arguab ...

: 20 December 1905 – 2 December 1909 * Charles O'Connor: 2 December 1909 – 26 September 1911 * Ignatius O'Brien: 19 October 1911 – 24 June 1912 *

Thomas Molony Sir Thomas Francis Molony, 1st Baronet, PC(Ire), KC (1865–1949) was the last Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was also the only Judge to hold the position of Lord Chief Justice of Southern Ireland although he did not hold that position unde ...

: 24 June 1912 – 10 April 1913 * John Moriarty: 25 April 1913 – 20 June 1913 * Jonathan Pim: 20 June 1913 – 1 July 1914 * James O'Connor: 1 July 1914 – 8 January 1917 * James Chambers: 19 March 1917 – June 1917 * Arthur Warren Samuels: 12 September 1917 – 7 April 1918 * John Blake Powell: 7 April 1918 – 1918 * Denis Henry: 27 November 1918 – 6 July 1919 * Daniel Martin Wilson: 6 July 1919 – June 1921 * Thomas Watters Brown: 12 June 1921 – 5 August 1921 *''Office abolished thereafter''

Principal Solicitors for Ireland (1537–1574)

Walter Cowley Walter Cowley (c.1500 – 1548) was an Irish lawyer and politician who was the first holder of the office of Principal Solicitor for Ireland, which was created for him. He was a client of Thomas Cromwell, and later of John Alan, the Lord Chanc ...

: 7 September 1537 – 1546 * John Bathe: 7 February 1546 – 1550 *

Richard Finglas Richard Finglas (died 1574) was an Irish barrister and Law Officer of the sixteenth century. He belonged to the prominent Finglas family of Westphailstown (or Westpalstown), County Dublin, and must therefore have been a close relative, probably a ...

: 17 October 1550 – 1574There is considerable confusion as to who held the offices of Solicitor-General and Principal Solicitor during this period. Smyth states that Finglas was Principal Solicitor from 1554 until his death in 1574. Hart gives the same date for Finglas's death but refers to him as Solicitor General. * James Dowdall: 20 July 1554 – 1565 * Lucas Dillon 1565 – 1566 * John Bathe: 20 October 1570 – 1574