Chief Herald of Ireland

The office of the Chief Herald of Ireland, (sometimes, though incorrectly, called the Office of Arms) is the Republic of Ireland's authority on all heraldic matters relating to Ireland and is located at the National Library of Ireland. Dating since 1552, it is the oldest Office of State, the title was previously Ulster King of Arms until 1 April 1943. Due to doubts concerning the legal validity of grants of arms in the Republic of Ireland, the post of Chief Herald has remained vacant since September 2003. 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, but a series of legal judgements have undermined this view. While orders for new heraldic business have continued to be sought and received by the Office of the Chief Herald, no new grant of arms has issued since 2003, and there is a backlog of unsigned patents.

All Irish citizens, male or female, may petition the Chief Herald for a Grant of Arms. A Grant of Arms may also be made, upon petition, to persons normally resident in Ireland; persons living abroad who are of provable Irish descent in either the paternal or maternal line; persons with significant links to Ireland; corporate bodies within Ireland; corporate bodies with significant links to Ireland but based in countries with no heraldic authority. A Grant of Arms is then made to the petitioner by the Chief Herald on, and with the authority of, the Government of Ireland. Arms granted by the Chief Herald are vested in the grantee and his/her descendants forever. In the past this has usually, but not always, been through the male line. Nowadays, should a woman choose to retain her natal surname and transmit it to her children, she may transmit her Arms with her name.

After the Battle of Kinsale in 1601 and the subsequent Flight of the Earls, the old Gaelic aristocracy scattered throughout Catholic Europe. Some of them were officially recognised by the Chief Herald as Chiefs of the Name, signifying that they are the most senior members of their family, but following official blundering that allowed a certain 'Mac Carthy Mór' and several other impostors to receive recognition in the 1990s this practice was abandoned in July 2003. The tradition of the Irish abroad seeking grants of arms from the Chief Herald continues to the present. Responding to this demand is an expression of the nation's "special affinity with those of Irish ancestry living abroad who share its cultural identity and heritage" (Article 2, Constitution of Ireland) The implementation of new legislation in May 2005 is considered by some to resolve the legal problems which have caused the suspension of new grants of arms by the Office of the Chief Herald, but others consider that additional amending legislation is required.

Recent Chief Heralds

• Edward McLysaght (1943-54)
• Gerard Slevin (1954-81)
• Donal Begley (1981-95)
• Patricia Donlon (1995-97)
• Brendan O Donoghue (1997-2003)

Post vacant 2003-

At the request of the Irish Government a Grant of Arms was made to U.S. Presidents John F. Kennedy in 1963 and Ronald Reagan in 1984. The Kennedy Arms, prepared by Gerard Slevin, Chief Herald, are still considered a masterpiece of heraldic design.

As Chief Herald Of Ireland, Slevin also suggested the circle of 12 golden stars on a deep blue background as the flag of the Council of Europe. It is now the European flag (European Union). This achievement was widely acclaimed in European heraldic circles and won him membership of the Academie Internationale d'Heraldique.

Countries with an official heraldic authority - Ireland, England, Scotland, Spain, Canada and South Africa.

External link

• Chief Herald of Ireland website (http://www.nli.ie/fr_offi2.htm)
• An Irish Arms Crisis (http://homepage.eircom.net/~seanjmurphy/chiefs/armscrisis.htm)