Article 40.2.2 of the Constitution states that “No title of nobility or of honour may be accepted by any citizen except with the prior approval of the Government.” The reference to "title of nobility or of honour" has been interpreted, in accordance with advice from the Attorney General, as referring to honours conferred by or on behalf of a sovereign authority, the recipients of which become entitled, by the law or custom of the foreign State in question, to use prefixes to their names such as “Sir”, “Dame”, “Lord” or "Marquis”.
If a foreign Government wishes to make any such award to an Irish citizen, the standard practice is that the relevant accredited foreign diplomatic mission would notify my Department of the conferral of the award. It is noted that rights, privileges or dignities deriving from the award of a title of nobility or honour subsist solely within the jurisdiction conferring it and any other jurisdiction that may recognise rights, privileges or dignities as flowing from it. Under Irish law, such a title confers no rights, entitlements or dignities. Moreover, awards that provide for the use of letters or marks of distinction after one's name or involve the presentation of medals, ribbons or academic honours are not regarded as conferring a title of nobility or of honour in this context.
Based on a review of records held by my Department, I can confirm that the Government has considered 14 awards conferring a “title of nobility or of honour” over the past ten years. A table outlining each of these awards is set out below. The table reflects recent practice of not placing individuals’ names on the official record of the Oireachtas in the context of matters of this nature.
In the case of awards conferred by the UK, the recipients of the awards in each instance have been dual Irish-British citizens.
In relation to ten of the instances summarised below, listed in the table as “No Decision”, the honours in question were extended to the Irish citizens concerned before the conferral was brought to the attention of the Government.
No facility exists for retrospective approval by the Government. My Department regularly reminds the relevant authorities that the prior approval of the Government should be sought where awards of the nature outlined in Article 40.2.2 of the Constitution are to be conferred on an Irish citizen.
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-
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Date of Consideration
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Country Conferring the Award
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Title of Award
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Government Decision
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1
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09/06/2015
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UK
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Knighthood (Knight Bachelor)
|
Approved
|
|
2
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03/11/2015
|
Grenada
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Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of the Nation
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Approved
|
|
3
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03/11/2015
|
Antigua and Barbuda
|
Knight Grand Cross of the Most Distinguished Order of the Nation
|
No decision
|
|
4
|
03/11/2015
|
Antigua and Barbuda
|
Knight Commander of the Most Distinguished Order of the Nation
|
No decision
|
|
5
|
17/05/2016
|
UK
|
Knighthood (Knight Bachelor)
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Approved
|
|
6
|
24/05/2022
|
UK
|
Damehood of the Order of the British Empire
|
Approved
|
|
7
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24/05/2022
|
UK
|
Damehood of the Order of the British Empire
|
No decision
|
|
8
|
04/07/2023
|
UK
|
Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George
|
No decision
|
|
9
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04/07/2023
|
UK
|
Damehood of the Order of the British Empire
|
No decision
|
|
10
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04/07/2023
|
UK
|
Knighthood of the Order the British Empire
|
No decision
|
|
11
|
25/06/2024
|
UK
|
Damehood of the Order of the British Empire
|
No decision
|
|
12
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25/06/2024
|
UK
|
Damehood of the Order of the British Empire
|
No decision
|
|
13
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25/06/2024
|
UK
|
Knighthood (Knight Bachelor)
|
No decision
|
|
14
|
19/03/2025
|
UK
|
Knighthood (Knight Bachelor)
|
No decision
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