The Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains (Irish: Buanchomhairle Thaoisigh Éireann) is an organisation which was established by the then President of Ireland to bring together the Chiefs of the Name of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland as then recognised by the Chief Herald of Ireland.
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On October 5, 1991 sixteen of the nineteen bloodline Chiefs, some of whom travelled from various parts of Europe, were received at Aras an Uachtarain by the President of Ireland, Dr. Mary Robinson. This was the first time in modern history that the bloodline chieftains of Ireland had gathered to form a new Council of Irish Chiefs. Indeed, it is believed to have been the first ever meeting of all the Irish chiefs whose history stretches back to prehistory. The only other meeting of this kind ever to have taken place was before the Battle of Kinsale which took place in 1601 when a large group of Irish Chiefs met.
Maguire of Fermanagh, retired accountant Terence Maguire, was elected chairman of the Irish Chiefs Council for a three year period while The O'Conor Don of Roscommon, retired businessman Denis O'Conor Don, was elected deputy-chairman.
In 1999, following a scandal the Chief Herald of Ireland decided on advice from the Attorney General’s Office that the Irish Government would no longer recognise Chiefs of the Name and succession would no longer be published in Iris Oifigiúil. The latest amendment and reprint of the constitution of the Standing Council was published that same year.
Previously any hereditary Chief or Chieftain of a Gaelic Irish Surname recognised as such by the Chief Herald of Ireland and registered in Clár na dTaoiseach could be admitted provided that proof of hereditary origin was vetted by the Chief Herald and that the Name is approved at an AGM of the Standing Council. However, in 2003 the Chief Herald of Ireland ceased providing courtesy recognition to Chiefs of the Name and consequently the Standing Council has temporarily postponed admitting new members until a new mechanism for recognition can be found.
Regardless of the non admission of new members the Standing Council continues to operate to fulfill the following objectives:
The current Chairman of The Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains is Dr. Hugo Ricciardi O'Neill, the current head of the Clandeboye O'Neill dynasty, whose family has been in Portugal since the 18th century.[1] Further particulars of the activities of The Standing Council of Irish Chiefs and Chieftains may be obtained by writing to The O’Morchoe [omor@esatclear.ie]
After the 2007 election in Ireland, a new National Library Board, overseeing the Genealogical Office and the Office of the Chief Herald, Mr. Fergus Gillespie, was expected to consider the future relationships of the Chiefs and the Chief Herald.