Chief governor of Ireland facts for kids

The chief governor was a very important official who helped the English (and later British) rulers manage Ireland for many centuries, from the 1170s until 1922. They were like a "viceroy," meaning they acted on behalf of the English monarch (king or queen) and later the British monarch. They also led the Privy Council of Ireland, which was a group of advisors.

Sometimes, the chief governor was truly in charge of running things in Ireland, answering only to the monarch in England. Other times, they were more of a figurehead, meaning they had the title but others held the real power.

What They Were Called

The term "chief governor" is a general name that historians use to describe this important role. People didn't always call them "chief governor" back then. Instead, they had different official titles depending on the time period:

• Justiciar (or Chief Justiciar): This title was used in the 1200s and 1300s.
• King's Lieutenant: This title was common from the 1300s to the 1500s.
• Lord Deputy: This title was used from the 1400s to the 1600s.
• Lord Lieutenant: This became the most common title from 1660 until 1922. People often called them the Viceroy.

Sometimes, a "Deputy" or "Lord Deputy" would act for a "King's Lieutenant" who didn't live in Ireland. Later, these deputies were called Lord Justices.

A Brief History of the Role

In early Norman Ireland, the chief governor, called a chief justiciar, handled both government and court duties. Later, the court duties were separated, and a new role, the Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, was created for legal matters.

In the 1400s, some chief governors, like the Earls of Kildare, started making their own decisions in the Parliament of Ireland. These decisions sometimes went against what the English king wanted. To stop this, a law called Poynings' Law was passed in 1495. This law made sure that any new laws in Ireland had to be approved by the Privy Council of England.

From the late 1500s to the late 1600s, much of Ireland was under military rule. The Lord Deputy had local deputies in areas like Munster and Connaught.

After the Williamite Wars (a conflict in the late 1600s), the Lord Lieutenant was usually a British noble. They would only visit Ireland every two years when the Irish Parliament was meeting. Their main job was to guide new laws through Parliament. When the Lord Lieutenant was away, three officials called Lords Justices would take their place.

After the Acts of Union 1800, the Irish Parliament was closed. The day-to-day running of Ireland was then handled by the Chief Secretary for Ireland. The Lord Lieutenant's role became more about ceremonies and less about actual power. Many people thought the role should be removed completely. The Lord Lieutenant lived in the Viceregal Lodge in Dublin. Interestingly, no Irish person held this top job until Viscount FitzAlan in its very last year.

The Government of Ireland Act 1920 created Northern Ireland and Southern Ireland. However, it kept one Lord Lieutenant for both. When the Irish Free State replaced Southern Ireland in December 1922, the role of Lord Lieutenant ended. It was then split into two new roles: the Governor-General of the Irish Free State (which ended in 1936) and the Governor of Northern Ireland (which ended in 1973).

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