Office of the Chief Herald FAQs

The Office of the Chief Herald is currently not accepting new applications for grants or confirmations of coats of arms.

The Office of the Chief Herald is currently not accepting new applications for grants or confirmations or arms owing to the  retirement of the Chief Herald.  The application process will resume when a new appointment has been made.

Devising and designing arms requires a considerable input of time. The time taken to deal with an application can vary. Every effort is made to deal with all applications within a reasonable period.

A grant of arms constitutes a license to use the arms, which allows the grantee, according to the traditional formula, to display the arms 'on shield or banner or otherwise according to the Laws of Arms'. The copyright in a grant of arms resides with the Board of the National Library of Ireland. A grant of arms does not confer any rank or title, or have any effect on the right of the person concerned to any other property, real or personal. A grant of arms made to an individual extends to his or her descendants of the name, not to a family as such.

The Register is a public record and can be viewed by making an application to the Office of the Chief Herald through the Manuscripts Reading Room of the National Library.

The Office of the Chief Herald does not undertake genealogical research or searches in the records of the office, on behalf of members of the public. Please visit the Family History section of this website for information on genealogical resources available in the Library.

There is no such thing in Ireland as a ‘family coat of arms’. Arms pertain to the persons to whom they have been granted by the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland and to the descendants of such grantees, according to the Laws of Arms. A grant of arms made to an individual extends to his or her descendants of the name, not to a family as such.

Please refer to our Applying for a Grant of Arms section which sets out all prerequisites.