The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland (plural: Lords Lieutenant) was the British monarch's official representative and head of the Irish executive during the Lordship of Ireland (1171–1541), the Kingdom of Ireland (1541–1800) and the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland (1801–1922). Following traditional British and Irish pronunciation, the term is always pronounced as 'Lord Lef-tenant of Ireland'.
The office, under its various names, was often more generally known as the viceroy, from the French vice roi or deputy king, with his queen consort known as the Vicereine. The government of Ireland in practice was usually in the hands of the Lord Deputy up to the 17th century, and later of the Chief Secretary for Ireland. Although in the Middle Ages some Lords Deputy were Irish noblemen, only men from Great Britain, usually nobles, were appointed to the office of Lord Lieutenant.
Read more about Lord Lieutenant Of Ireland: Role, Constitutional Structure, Who Held The Office, Importance of The Post, Official Residence, Irish Attitudes Towards The Lord Lieutenant
Famous quotes containing the words lord and/or ireland:
“I have been thinking this half hour how to begin my letter and cannot for my soul make it out. I wish to the Lord one could write a letter without any beginning for I am sure it allways puzzles me more than all the rest of it.”
—Thomas Jefferson (1743–1826)
“The tragedy of Northern Ireland is that it is now a society in which the dead console the living.”
—Jack Holland (b. 1947)