Governor-General of the Irish Free State
| Governor-General of the Irish Free State | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Style | His Excellency |
| Residence | Viceregal Lodge |
| Appointer |
|
| Precursor | Lord Lieutenant of Ireland |
| Formation | 6 December 1922 |
| First holder | Tim Healy |
| Final holder | Domhnall Ua Buachalla |
| Abolished | 11 December 1936 |
| Succession | Executive Council of the Irish Free State |
The Governor-General (Irish: Seanascal) was the official representative of the sovereign of the Irish Free State from 1922 to 1936. By convention, the Office of Governor-General was largely ceremonial. Nonetheless, it was controversial, as many nationalists saw it as offensive to republican principles and a symbol of continued Irish subservience to the United Kingdom, despite the governor-general having no connection to the British government after 1931. For this reason, the office's role was diminished over time by nationalist prime ministers and legislators.
The 1931 enactment in London of the Statute of Westminster gave the Irish Free State's full legislative independence. However, the Irish considered that full legislative independence had been achieved in 1922. The role of governor-general in the Irish Free State was officially abolished on 11 December 1936, at the time of Edward VIII's abdication as king of the United Kingdom and all the Dominions.
The governor-general was appointed by the king on the advice of his Irish ministers. Initially, the British government had some involvement in the appointment process. However, this ended following the 1926 Imperial Conference; thenceforth, only the government of the Irish Free State was formally involved. A further effect of the 1926 conference (in particular, of the Balfour Declaration) was that the monarch also ceased to receive formal advice from the British government in relation to his role in the Irish Free State; such advice thenceforth came officially only from the Executive Council of the Irish Free State (the Cabinet).
The Free State constitution did not limit the governor-general to a fixed term of office. But, in 1927, the Irish government decided that no governor-general would serve a term longer than five years.
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