Genealogical Office

Colette O'Flaherty
8th Chief Herald of Ireland
Incumbent
Assumed office
June 2010
President
Taoiseach
Preceded byCollette Byrne
Personal details
NationalityIrish
ProfessionGenealogy
The coat of arms of Ulster King of Arms, who preceded the Chief Herald of Ireland. Taken from Lant's Roll

The Genealogical Office is an office of the Government of Ireland containing genealogical records. It includes the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland (Irish: Príomh Aralt na hÉireann),[1] the authority in Ireland for heraldry. The Chief Herald authorises the granting of arms to Irish bodies and Irish people, including descendants of emigrants. The office was constituted on 1 April 1943 as successor to the Ulster King of Arms, established during the Tudor period of the Kingdom of Ireland in 1552. The Ulster King of Arms' duties in relation to Northern Ireland were taken over by the Norroy and Ulster King of Arms.

The Genealogical Office was based in Dublin Castle until 1981.[2][3] It was made part of the Department of Education in 1943.[4] In 1987 it relocated to Kildare Street, occupying part of the former Kildare Street Club premises beside the National Library of Ireland (NLI).[5] It was formally recognised as part of the NLI in 1997.[1] In 2002,[6] it was transferred from Education to the Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism.[6] The State Heraldic Museum was housed in the Genealogical Office until its closure in 2007.[7][8]

  1. ^ a b National Cultural Institutions Act, 1997 §13: Provisions relating to genealogy and heraldry.
  2. ^ Hood 2002 p. 231
  3. ^ "The Genealogical Office, Dublin Castle". Burke's Peerage and Gentry (15th ed.). 1937. Archived from the original on 22 October 2007.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  4. ^ S.I. No. 267/1943 — Allocation of Administration (Genealogical Office) Order, 1943
  5. ^ Hood 2002 p. 235
  6. ^ a b S.I. No. 328/2002 — Genealogical Office (Transfer of Departmental Administration and Ministerial Functions) Order 2002
  7. ^ Hood 2002 pp. 82, 174, 216, 235
  8. ^ National Library of Ireland (April 2009). "Annual Report 2007" (PDF). Department of Arts, Sport and Tourism. p. 3. Retrieved 6 January 2024. In December 2007 an additional exhibition space was opened in the space previously occupied by the Heraldic Museum in 2/3 Kildare Street.