Irish nobility
Irish nobility refers to persons who fall into one or more of the following categories of nobility.
Gaelic nobility of Ireland are those who qualified under the rules of tanistry, or otherwise were or are descendants in the male line of at least one historical grade of king (Rí). This group includes the descendants of the Norse-Gaelic kings as well. The article for this branch of nobility sets out the degrees of kingship and the trappings of kingship in Gaelic Ireland.
Hiberno-Norman or Old English (Ireland) nobility who were the descendants of the settlers who came to Ireland from Wales, Normandy and England after the Norman invasion of Ireland in 1169–71.
Peerage of Ireland who owe their titles to those created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland.
These groups are not mutually exclusive. There is a high degree of overlap between groups 1 and 2 (prior to the Treaty of Limerick). There is a lesser degree of overlap between groups 2 and 3 (prior to the declaration of the Republic of Ireland). There is also a lesser degree of overlap between groups 1 and 3. Such overlaps may be personal (e.g. a Gaelic noble who was "regranted" his titles by King Henry VIII of England), or they may be geographical (i.e. different noble traditions co-existing in neighbouring parts of the country, which were only distinguished by the date when they were finally conquered by the Dublin administration).
Chicago Tribune
16 Mar 2025
Chicago Tribune
16 Mar 2025