Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains
| Formation | 1991 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Irish Government |
| Type | Gaelic nobility Irish clans Gaelic culture |
| Headquarters | Ireland |
|
Chairman
|
Hugo Ricciardi O'Neill |
The Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains (Irish: Buanchomhairle Thaoisigh Éireann) is an organisation which was established by the then President of Ireland to bring together the Chiefs of the Name of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland as then recognised by the Chief Herald of Ireland.
History
On October 5, 1991 sixteen of the nineteen bloodline Chiefs, some of whom travelled from various parts of Europe, were received at Aras an Uachtarain by the President of Ireland, Dr. Mary Robinson. This was the first time in modern history that the bloodline chieftains of Ireland had gathered to form a new Council of Irish Chiefs. Indeed, it is believed to have been the first ever meeting of all the Irish chiefs whose history stretches back to prehistory. The only other meeting of this kind ever to have taken place was before the Battle of Kinsale which took place in 1601 when a large group of Irish Chiefs met.[citation needed]
Maguire of Fermanagh, retired accountant Terence Maguire, was elected chairman of the Irish Chiefs Council for a three-year period while The O'Conor Don of Roscommon, retired businessman Denis O'Conor Don, was elected deputy-chairman.
In 1999, following a scandal the Chief Herald of Ireland decided on advice from the Attorney General’s Office that the Irish Government would no longer recognise Chiefs of the Name and succession would no longer be published in Iris Oifigiúil. The latest amendment and reprint of the constitution of the Standing Council was published that same year.
Today
The current Chairman of The Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains is Dr. Hugo Ricciardi O'Neill, the current head of the Clandeboye O'Neill dynasty, from a branch of that family which has been in Portugal since the 18th century.[1]
After the 2007 election in Ireland, a new National Library Board, overseeing the Genealogical Office and the Office of the Chief Herald, Mr. Fergus Gillespie, was expected to consider the future relationships of the Chiefs and the Chief Herald.
See also
References
- ↑ Anuário da Nobreza de Portugal, III, 2006, Tomo III, pg. 1.394
