Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland
The Office of the Chief Herald, formerly the Genealogical Office (GO), has been a part of the National Library of Ireland since 1943.
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The Office of the Chief Herald is not accepting any new applications for grants or confirmations of arms until further notice due to resourcing capability. For information on the Genealogical Office Manuscript (GO MS) Collection please see Manuscripts | National Library of Ireland. For information on researching family history please see Further Research | National Library of Ireland . |
Heraldic responsibility for Ireland had previously been the remit of the Office of the Ulster King of Arms, founded in 1552. Since 1943, the Chief Herald of Ireland has been responsible for the granting and confirming of arms to individuals and corporate bodies in Ireland. Section 13 of the National Cultural Institutions Act of 1997 sets out the statutory functions of the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland. All arms granted are recorded in the centuries-old Register of Arms series maintained by the Office.
Archives of the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland
The records of the Office are referred to as the GO manuscripts. You can view these in the Manuscripts Reading Room. Many of the historic heraldic manuscripts (GO) are digitised and are accessible via the online catalogue.
History of the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland
While the earliest reference to a herald of arms for Ireland dates from 1382, the position of Ulster King of Arms, Herald of all Ireland, was formally created by the Tudor King Edward VI in 1552. In addition to granting and confirming arms, the Office of Arms or Ulster’s Office was responsible for administering protocol and precedence at the Irish Court and worked closely with the administration in Dublin Castle. The Ulster King of Arms was a Crown appointment for life and so, following Irish independence, the last Crown appointee, Sir Neville Wilkinson, continued in office as Ulster King of Arms until his death in 1941.
In 1943, the Office of Arms was transferred to the control of the Irish State and renamed the Genealogical Office, and the archives transferred to the care of the NLI. The first Chief Herald of Ireland was Dr Edward MacLysaght. Since 1943, the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland has operated as part of the NLI, and the NLI appoints the Chief Herald. Since 2010, the position of Chief Herald has been associated with the Department of Special Collections.