Chief of the Name facts for kids

A Chief of the Name is like the official leader of a big family or clan. In the past, people sometimes called them the "Captain of his Nation." This term was used in Ireland and Scotland to show who was the main person in charge of a family group. The Irish word for clan is fine.

Chiefs in Ireland

Back in the 1500s, during the time of Queen Elizabeth I, being a Chief of the Name was very important to many Irish leaders. Some Norman lords, like the FitzGerald family, even started using the Gaelic style "The" or "Mór" (meaning 'great') before their names. This showed they were the most important person in their family in Ireland.

Chiefs were chosen by a group of close family members called a "Derbfine". This group included cousins who were great-grandsons of previous chiefs.

Changes Under English Rule

In 1542, the Kingdom of Ireland was set up. The English government tried to bring the Irish clan chiefs under their laws. This was done through a plan called "surrender and regrant". It meant chiefs would give up their land to the English king and then get it back, but under English law.

During this time, official records started calling powerful local landowners "chief of his nation." The English wanted these chiefs to be responsible for how their family and followers behaved. In Gaelic tradition, a chief would just sign their family name. But a new practice began where the English version of the surname would have "The" in front of it. For example, the leader of the Mac Aonghusa clan in County Down would sign as "Mac Aonghusa" in Irish, but "The Magennis" in English.

Decline of the Chiefs

By the early 1600s, the power of the Gaelic chiefs began to fade. English settlements, wars led by Cromwell, and conflicts with King James meant that many Chiefships of the Name were lost. Many chiefs ended up living outside Ireland or became very poor.

After this, some chiefs who had accepted English law passed their titles down to their eldest son. This is called primogeniture. But the traditional Irish way in the Middle Ages was to elect a chief from the derbfine group.

The Herald's Office in Dublin Castle, set up in 1552, kept records of the family lines of chiefs who had joined the English legal system. Other family histories were saved and published later by historians like Charles O'Conor. Later, Irish nationalist movements often looked back at the chiefs and their losses with strong feelings.

Chiefs from 1922 to 2003

When the Irish Free State was formed in 1922, it didn't officially recognize the idea of Chiefs of the Name. However, in 1938, the Irish Prime Minister, Éamon de Valera, welcomed the first President of Ireland, Dr. Douglas Hyde, saying he was like a successor to Ireland's old princes.

In 1948, the government thought about having a "Council" of chiefs. The Irish Constitution of 1937 doesn't allow the state to give out titles of nobility. So, the titles were called "designations" by the Chief Herald of Ireland. This allowed chiefs to use their titles as a sign of respect, but without any political power.

Until 2003, the Chief Herald of Ireland recognized a Chief of the Name as the oldest known male descendant of the last chief who was in power in Gaelic Ireland before the end of the 1500s.

Why the Practice Stopped

In the 1990s, some people, like Terence Francis MacCarthy, were wrongly recognized as chiefs because of mistakes in family records. Because of these errors and concerns about whether there was a proper legal reason for the practice, the Irish government stopped recognizing Chiefs of the Name in 2003.

Today, some Irish clan groups choose honorary chieftains if a Chief of the Name isn't known. There are also ideas about how to choose new chiefs when old family lines are lost. Some modern Irish clans are part of Finte na hÉireann, or Clans of Ireland, an organization that keeps a list of Irish clans.

Irish Law Today

Since 2003, the law has gone back to how it was before 1943. This means anyone can call themselves a Chief of the Name, even if they don't have a historical claim.

Gaelic Irish Titles Abroad

In 1896, Jorge O'Neill from Portugal showed his family history to the Somerset Herald in London. In 1900, the Herald recognized him as the official representative of the House of O'Neill, who were once monarchs of Ireland and kings of Ulster. This recognition came from the English College of Heralds. Later, the Pope, the King of Spain, and the King of Portugal also recognized Jorge O'Neill as a Prince and Count. His grandson, Hugo, respects his O'Neill chief cousins and their histories, so he has not pushed his claim to be the head of the entire House of O'Neill.

Chiefs in Scotland

The idea of a clan chief in Scotland is similar to Ireland. A chief is the recognized leader of a Scottish clan. One difference is that in Scotland, a clan chief can be male or female, but in Ireland, they are always male.

In Scotland, there is the Standing Council of Scottish Chiefs. In Ireland, there is the Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains (Irish: Buanchomhairle Thaoisigh Éireann). Scotland also has a way to choose a new chief if the old family line can't be proven, called an 'Ad Hoc Derbhfine'. Some people think Ireland should use a similar method for chiefships that have been lost over time.

See also

• Donal II O'Donovan, a famous historical chief
• White Rod
• Irish name