British Nobility - Irish and Gaelic Nobility

Irish and Gaelic Nobility

See also: Tanistry, Derbfine, and Early Irish law

Outside the United Kingdom, the remaining Gaelic nobility of Ireland continue informally to use their archaic provincial titles. As Ireland was nominally under the overlordship of the English Crown for between the 12th and 16th centuries, the Gaelic system coexisted with the British system. A modern survivor of this coexistence is the Baron Inchiquin, still referred to in Ireland as the Prince of Thomond. The Prince of Thomond is one of three remaining claimants to the non-existent, since the 12th century, so-called High Kingship of Ireland, the others being The O'Neill, and the O'Conor Don.

Chief of the Name is most often a princely title in Ireland and so it is to be distinguished from the Scottish clan chief, the difference being that nearly all the surviving Irish chiefs descend from provincial and regional kings with pedigrees beginning in Late Antiquity, the Scottish chiefly lines being half as old and arising well after the formation of the Kingdom of Scotland, despite pleas to the contrary (with the exception of the Clann Somhairle, or Clan Donald and Clan MacDougall, the two of royal origins). The related Mór ("Great") is sometimes used by the dominant branches of the larger Irish dynasties to declare their status as the leading princes of the blood, e.g. Ó Néill Mór, lit. (The) Great O'Neill. In any case an Irish chief is properly addressed with his "sept" name as his title, e.g. O'Neill of Clanaboy, and the inclusion of any other elements is unnecessary and may even be undesired (less often means more). O'Donovan is an example of a recent Irish chief in the British service.

Following the Norman invasion of Ireland several Hiberno-Norman families also became princely and adopted Gaelic styles, the most prominent being the De Burgh dynasty and FitzGerald dynasty.