Description

Following the bloody struggle for independence and the establishment of the Irish Free State, revolutionary leaders systematically dismantled British colonial symbols. Yet, remarkably, one of the oldest crown institutions survived completely intact: the Office of Arms. In Royal Roots – Republican Inheritance, historian Susan Hood uncovers the intriguing bureaucratic and political chess match that allowed this ancient heraldic institution to endure.

Established in 1552 under the British monarch, the office was responsible for granting coats of arms, tracking noble family genealogies, and managing state ceremonies. Hood uses unprecedented access to state files and institutional records to show how clever archivists and politicians successfully repositioned the office into the modern Genealogical Office / Chief Herald of Ireland. It is a brilliant micro-history of institutional survival, cultural compromise, and the complex ways modern nations inherit the architecture of their past rulers.

Key Highlights of this book:

• Fascinating Political Paradox: Explores how a staunchly anti-royalist republic preserved a crown institution to safeguard its genealogical records.

• Genealogical & Heraldic History: A must-read for anyone interested in the technical history of coat-of-arms verification and lineage tracking in Ireland.

• Dublin Castle Insights: Provides a rare behind-the-scenes look at the administrative inner workings of Dublin Castle during the 1920s and 1930s.