# Vice Great Seneschal of Ireland

Vice Great Seneschal of Ireland or Deputy Lord High Steward of Ireland, is not a formal title of office, but describes a functional role under the aegis of the Hereditary Great Seneschal or Lord High Steward of Ireland, the latter acting under royal authority dating back several centuries. The function of Vice Great Seneschal of Ireland was assigned to the Hereditary Seneschal or Lord Steward for Tyrconnell, Patrick Denis O'Donnell (1922–2005) and subsequently inherited by his son, Francis Martin O'Donnell.
The precedent for the Lord High Steward/Great Seneschal to appoint a deputy through an appointment as Seneschal or Lord Steward of a County is found in the case of the appointment, of John Penyngton as Steward of the Liberty of Wexford. Appointments by the Lords Shrewsbury of deputies to serve as Stewards of Counties in Ireland were upheld by the House of Lords as proof of the exercise of the prerogatives of the Lord High Steward of Ireland.
The functional role as deputy consists of acting in the place of the Lord High Steward, if required, to bear the Curtana, a Sword of State, and/or a White Wand at State ceremonials, including Royal Coronations, a responsibility confirmed by grant of Queen Victoria on 15 September 1871, and formerly to act as President of the Court by which a Peer may have been tried by his Peers in the Peerage of Ireland.
Notwithstanding that the island of Ireland now comprises a sovereign country, Ireland, and a province of the United Kingdom, Northern Ireland, the Vice Great Seneschal of Ireland role is still fulfilled in the United Kingdom.

## Honorific appointments

In addition to the position of Vice Great Seneschal of Ireland, there are a few other honorary appointments as Deputy Lord High Steward of Ireland. According to the Earl of Shrewsbury, the Lord High Steward of Ireland, he has appointed five Deputies in an honorary capacity. One of these appointees is Anthony Boada. The Earl emphasises that this is a purely honorific appointment, recognised neither by the College of Arms in London nor by the authorities in the Republic of Ireland. It is similar to the titular titles without land sold in the UK, conferring no rights whatsoever. While the appointment holds little significance, those appointed regard it as a friendly gesture. Notably, two appointees have taken it seriously and contributed to charitable and other purposes. The Earl does not permit the title to be used for commercial purposes.
One other of the five appointments, as a deputy to the Lord High Steward of Ireland, an office that became obsolete at the Coronation of King Charles III, is claimed by Joerg Barisch, Esquire. Due to the fact that this is one of the honorific appointments, there is no reference to automatic registration in the Registry of Deeds in Ireland nor an automatically placed notice on the UK government's HM Gazette in London. Therefore, the Letters Patent issued in this case is held as evidence of itself.
In 1999, it was reported that Anthony Boada auctioned the deputy office through Strutt & Parker for over £55,000.

## Deputised Lords High Stewards or Great Seneschals of Ireland

The following were appointed to preside in the trials by the Irish House of Lords of Peers indicted for various crimes, and their ceremonial roles were limited to those appertaining to their temporary judicial role.
* 1739: Thomas Wyndham (1681–1745), 1st Baron Wyndham of Finglass
* 1743: Robert Jocelyn (1727–1756), 1st Viscount Jocelyn
* 1798: John FitzGibbon (1749–1802), 1st Earl of Clare