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Irish Political History series
Monarchism
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The King was the head of state of the 1922–1937 Irish Free State. Under the Free State constitution, the state was governed under a form of constitutional monarchy. The King exercised a number of important duties, including appointing the Executive Council (cabinet), dissolving the legislature and promulgating laws. Nonetheless, by convention the King's role was largely ceremonial. The King's duties were exercised on his behalf by his official representative, the Governor-General. Most of the King's functions were taken from him in the final days of the Irish Free State, under a constitutional amendment adopted in 1936.

Title of King

The King's title in the Irish Free State was exactly the same as it was elsewhere in the British Empire, being

• From 1922–1927 - By the Grace of God, of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland and of the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India

• 1927–1937 - By the Grace of God, of Great Britain, Ireland and the British Dominions beyond the Seas King, Defender of the Faith, Emperor of India

The reason the King's title changed in 1927 was because the term "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland" had been superseded by the establishment of the Irish Free State and the renaming of the UK as the "United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland". Rather than draw attention to the partition of Ireland, the Kings title simply referred to Great Britain and Ireland. This change did not meant the King adopted different Crowns in his different realms - That development was did not formally occur until 1953.

Duties and functions

King George V, the first monarch to reign in the Irish Free State.

• Executive authority: The executive authority of the state was formally vested in the King but 'exercised' by the Governor-General, on the 'advice' of the Executive Council.
• Appointment of the cabinet: The President of the Executive Council (prime minister) was appointed by Governor General after being selected by Dáil Éireann (the lower house of parliament). The remaining ministers were appointed on the nomination of the president, subject to a vote of consent in the Dáil.
• Convention and dissolution of the legislature: The Governor-General, on behalf of the King, convened and dissolved the Oireachtas on the advice of the Executive Council.
• Signing bills into law: The King was formally, along with the Dáil and the Senate, one of three tiers of the Oireachtas. No bill could become law until it received the Royal Assent, given by the Governor-General on behalf of the King. The Governor-General theoretically had the right to veto a bill or 'reserve' it 'for the signification of the King's pleasure', in effect postponing a decision on whether or not to enact the bill, for a maximum of one year. However neither of these two actions was ever taken.
• Representative of the state in foreign affairs: The King accredited ambassadors and received the letters of credence of foreign diplomats; ministers signed international treaties in his name. The role of the King in the Free State's foreign affairs was the only function retained by him after the constitutional changes of 1936.
• Appointment of judges: All judges were appointed by the Governor-General, on the advice of the Executive Council.

Oath of Allegiance

Main article: Oath of Allegiance (Ireland)

Under the Free State constitution members of the Oireachtas were required to take Oath of Allegiance to the Irish Free State with an promise of fidelity – but not an Oath of Allegiance – to the King before being permitted to assume their seats. This oath was strongly objected to by many republicans and was one of the causes of the Irish Civil War. The oath was eventually abolished in 1936. The Oath of Allegiance read as follows:

I ................ do solemnly swear true faith and allegiance to the Constitution of the Irish Free State as by law established, and that I will be faithful to H. M. King George V., his heirs and successors by law in virtue of the common citizenship of Ireland with Great Britain and her adherence to and membership of the group of nations forming the British Commonwealth of Nations.

Major constitutional changes

Leinster House, decorated for the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911.
Within a decade it was the seat of the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State.

Constitutional changes of 1936

In 1936 the Fianna Fáil government of Éamon de Valera carried out a major revision of the constitution aimed at all but eliminating the role of the King in the Irish state. After abolishing the Oath of Allegiance the Oireachtas passed the Constitution (Amendment No. 27) Act. This removed all explicit reference to the King from the constitution, abolished the office of Governor-General, and shared all of the King's former functions amongst various other organs of government.

However, without mentioning him by name, the amendment also introduced a provision permitting the government to "avail of" the King as a "constitutional organ" for the "appointment of diplomatic and consular agents and the conclusion of international agreements". Thus, henceforth, the King was still the head of state but his role was restricted to diplomatic and foreign affairs, a standard head of state role.

The King retained no other constitutional role internally in the life of the Irish state and was relegated in Bunreacht na hÉireann to being an unnamed "organ" used by the state should it choose in statute law to do so. It continued that organ role in the enactment of the Republic of Ireland Act, which gave the King's diplomatic role to the President of Ireland.

List of monarchs

• George V (1922–January 1936)
• Edward VIII (January 1936 – December 1936)
• George VI (December 1936–1949)

List of Governors-General

• Timothy Healy (1922–1927)
• James McNeill (1928–1932)
• Domhnall Ua Buachalla (1932–1936)

See also

• Irish head of state from 1936 to 1949
• History of the Republic of Ireland
• President of Ireland
• Style of the British Sovereign