The Solicitor-General for Ireland was the holder of an Irish and then (from the

Act of Union 1800 The Acts of Union 1800 were parallel acts of the Parliament of Great Britain and the Parliament of Ireland which united the Kingdom of Great Britain and the Kingdom of Ireland (previously in personal union) to create the United Kingdom of G ...

)

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Northwestern Europe, off the coast of European mainland, the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

government office. The holder was a deputy to the

Attorney-General for Ireland The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Kingdom of Ireland, Irish and then, from 1801 under the Acts of Union 1800, United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on ...

, and advised

the Crown The Crown is a political concept used in Commonwealth realms. Depending on the context used, it generally refers to the entirety of the State (polity), state (or in federal realms, the relevant level of government in that state), the executive ...

on Irish legal matters. On rare occasions, there was also a Deputy Attorney-General, who was distinct from the Solicitor-General. At least two holders of the office, Patrick Barnewall (1534–1550) and Sir Roger Wilbraham (1586–1603), played a leading role in Government, although in Barnewall's case, this may be partly because he, was also King's Serjeant. As with the

Solicitor General for England and Wales His Majesty's Solicitor General for England and Wales, known informally as the Solicitor General, is one of the law officers of the Crown in the government of the United Kingdom. They are the deputy of the Attorney General for England and Wales ...

, the Solicitor-General for Ireland was usually a

barrister A barrister is a type of lawyer in common law jurisdiction (area), jurisdictions. Barristers mostly specialise in courtroom advocacy and litigation. Their tasks include arguing cases in courts and tribunals, drafting legal pleadings, jurisprud ...

rather than a

solicitor A solicitor is a lawyer who traditionally deals with most of the legal matters in some jurisdictions. A person must have legally defined qualifications, which vary from one jurisdiction to another, to be described as a solicitor and enabled to p ...

. The first record of a Solicitor General is in 1511, although the office may be older than that as the records are incomplete; on the other hand, the equivalent English office is a relatively recent creation, dating from 1461. Early Solicitors almost always held the like of Serjeant-at-law. For some forty years in the sixteenth century a Principal Solicitor for Ireland shared the duties of the office: confusingly both were referred to as "the Solicitor". The Principal Solicitor might also be a Serjeant-at-law, as Richard Finglas was.

Elizabeth I Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was List of English monarchs, Queen of England and List of Irish monarchs, Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. She was the last and longest reigning monarch of the House of Tudo ...

thought poorly of most of her Irish-born Law Officers (there were a few exceptions like

James Dowdall James Dowdall (died 20 September 1600) was a Roman Catholic merchant of Drogheda, Ireland. The Dowdalls of County Louth, Louth originated at Dovedale in Derbyshire and became prominent in Ireland in the late Middle Ages.James Dowdall (Chief Just ...

) and

Richard Finglas Richard Finglas (died 1574) was an Irish barrister and Law Officer of the sixteenth century. He belonged to the prominent Finglas family of Westphailstown (or Westpalstown), County Dublin. He was a close relative, probably a nephew or grandson, o ...

, and from 1584 onwards there was a practice, which lasted for several decades, of appointing English-born lawyers as Solicitor General. At least one of them, Sir Roger Wilbraham (in office 1586–1603), was a key figure in the Dublin government for many years. Unlike the Attorney General, the Solicitor was not, as a rule, a member of the

Privy Council of Ireland His or Her Majesty's Privy Council in Ireland, commonly called the Privy Council of Ireland, Irish Privy Council, or in earlier centuries the Irish Council, was the institution within the Dublin Castle administration which exercised formal executi ...

, although he might be summoned by the council to advise it. With the establishment of the

Irish Free State The Irish Free State (6 December 192229 December 1937), also known by its Irish-language, Irish name ( , ), was a State (polity), state established in December 1922 under the Anglo-Irish Treaty of December 1921. The treaty ended the three-ye ...

in 1922, the duties of both the Attorney General and Solicitor General ''for'' Ireland were taken over by the Attorney General ''of'' Ireland, and the office of Solicitor General was abolished, apparently as an economy measure. This led to complaints for many years about the undue burden of work which was placed on the Attorney General, whose office was seriously understaffed until the 1930s.

Solicitors-General for Ireland (1511–1922)

16th century

Thomas Rochfort Sir Thomas Rochfort (c.1450–1522) was a distinguished Irish judge and cleric who held the offices of Solicitor General for Ireland (he was the first recorded holder of that office), Master of the Rolls in Ireland, and Dean of St. Patrick's Ca ...

: appointed 1511 * Thomas Luttrell: 9 September 1532 – 1534 * Patrick Barnewall: 17 October 1534 – 1550 * John Bathe: 16 October 1550 – 1554 *

: 20 July 1554 – 1565 *

Nicholas Nugent Nicholas Nugent (c. 1525–1582) was an Anglo-Irish judge, who was hanged for treason by the government that appointed him. He had, before his downfall, enjoyed a highly successful career, holding office as Solicitor General for Ireland, Baron of ...

: 17 April 1565 – 1574 *

Richard Bellings Sir Richard Bellings (1613–1677) was a lawyer and political figure in 17th century Ireland and in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He is best known for his participation in Confederate Ireland, a short-lived independent Irish state, in which he ...

: February 1574 – 1584 *

Jesse Smythes Jesse (or Jessua) Smythes (died 1594) was an English born judge and colonist in Elizabethan Ireland. He held office as Solicitor General for Ireland and Chief Justice of Munster, and was heavily involved in the Plantation of Munster. He was noted ...

: 7 July 1584 – 1586 * Roger Wilbraham: 11 February 1586 – 1603 Sir Roger Wilbraham 1553-1616

17th century

Sir John Davies Sir John Davies (16 April 1569 (baptised)8 December 1626) was an English poet, lawyer, and politician who sat in the House of Commons at various times between 1597 and 1621. He became Attorney General for Ireland and formulated many of the legal ...

: 18 September 1603 – 1606 * Sir Robert Jacobe: 19 April 1606 – 1618 *

Sir Richard Bolton Sir Richard Bolton (January 1570 – November 1648) was an English lawyer and judge, who was an important figure in Irish political life in the 1630s and 1640s. Life He was the son of John Bolton, of Fenton, Staffordshire and Margaret Ash, d ...

: 31 December 1618 – 1622 * Sir Edward Bolton: 5 December 1622 – 1640 * Sir William Sambach: 8 June 1640 – ? ''Office vacant c.1640-1657'' * William Ellice: 1657 – 1658 (Commonwealth) *

Robert Shapcote Robert Shapcote, JP (born 1621, died 1689) was an English lawyer from Devon and four times Member of Parliament for Tiverton in 1646–1649, 1654, 1656 and 1660. He sat in the Irish House of Commons for the borough of Wicklow from 1661 to 1665 ...

: 1658 – 1660 (Commonwealth) * Sir John Temple: 10 July 1660 – 1689 *Sir Theobald Butler: 1689 – 25 July 1689 * Sir Richard Levinge, Bt 3 November 1689 – 1695 *

Alan Brodrick Alan Brodrick may refer to: * Alan Brodrick, 1st Viscount Midleton ( 1656–1728), Irish lawyer and politician * Alan Brodrick, 2nd Viscount Midleton (1702–1747), British peer and cricket patron * Alan Brodrick, 12th Viscount Midleton (born 1949) ...

: 10 May 1695 – 1704

18th century

* Sir Richard Levinge, Bt: 4 April 1704 – 1709 * John Forster: 8 September 1709 – 24 December 1709 * William Whitshed: 24 December 1709 – 1711 * Francis Bernard: 4 June 1711 – 1714 * John Rogerson: 8 November 1714 – 14 May 1720 * Thomas Marlay: 13 October 1720 – 1727 * Robert Jocelyn: 5 April 1727 – 29 September 1730 * John Bowes: 29 September 1730 – 3 September 1739 * St George Caulfeild: 24 September 1739 – 23 December 1741 *

Warden Flood Warden Flood (1694 – 16 April 1764) was an Irish judge who held office as Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, but is mainly remembered now as the natural father of the statesman Henry Flood. He was born at Burnchurch in County Kilkenny, son of Fr ...

: 24 December 1741 – 27 August 1751 *

Philip Tisdall Philip Tisdall SL (1 March 1703 – 11 September 1777) was an Irish lawyer and politician, who held the office of Attorney-General for Ireland. He was for many years a leading figure in the Irish Government. Background He was born in County Lou ...

: 27 August 1751 – 31 July 1760 * John Gore: 31 July 1760 – 24 August 1764 *

Marcus Paterson Marcus Paterson (1712 – 12 March 1787) was an Irish politician, Solicitor-General for Ireland and Chief Justice of the Irish Common Pleas. He became the Member of Parliament for Ballynakill in 1756 and Lisburn in 1768. He was appointed as Sol ...

: 29 August 1764 – 18 June 1770 *

Godfrey Lill Godfrey Lill (born 1719, died 1783 in Enniskillen) was an Irish politician, Solicitor-General for Ireland, and judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). He became the Member of Parliament for Fore in 1761 and Baltinglass in 1768. He was ap ...

: 18 June 1770 – 1774 * John Scott: 13 July 1774 – 17 October 1777 *

Robert Hellen Robert Hellen (born 1725, died 1793 in Donnybrook, Dublin) was an Irish politician, Solicitor-General, and judge of the Court of Common Pleas (Ireland). Early life He was born at Whitehaven, Cumberland, son of Robert Hellen senior. His family ...

: 31 October 1777 – 1779 * Hugh Carleton: 7 April 1779 – 30 April 1787 * Arthur Wolfe: 1 May 1787 – 16 July 1789 * John Toler: 16 July 1789 – 26 June 1798 * John Stewart: 26 June 1798 – 9 December 1799

19th century

20th century

* George Wright: 30 January 1900 – 1901 * James Campbell: October 1901 – 1905 *

Redmond Barry Sir Redmond Barry (7 June 181323 November 1880), was an Irish-born judge in the Australian colony of Victoria. A major figure in the early civic life of Melbourne, Barry was instrumental in founding several key institutions in the city, in ...

: 20 December 1905 – 2 December 1909 * Charles O'Connor: 2 December 1909 – 26 September 1911 * Ignatius O'Brien: 19 October 1911 – 24 June 1912 *

Thomas Molony Sir Thomas Francis Molony, 1st Baronet, Privy Council of Ireland, PC(Ire), King's Counsel, KC (1865–1949) was the last Lord Chief Justice of Ireland. He was also the only judge to hold the position of Lord Chief Justice of Southern Ireland al ...

: 24 June 1912 – 10 April 1913 * John Moriarty: 25 April 1913 – 20 June 1913 * Jonathan Pim: 20 June 1913 – 1 July 1914 *

James O'Connor James O'Connor or O'Conner may refer to: Politics and law * James O'Connor (Louisiana politician) (1870–1941), U.S Representative from Louisiana * James F. O'Connor (1878–1945), U.S Representative from Montana * James Francis Thaddeus O'Connor ...

: 1 July 1914 – 8 January 1917 * James Chambers: 19 March 1917 – June 1917 *

Arthur Warren Samuels Arthur Warren Samuels (19 May 1852 – 11 May 1925) was an Irish Unionist Member of Parliament (MP) in the United Kingdom parliament and subsequently a judge. The Irish Unionists were the Irish wing of the Conservative Party. Biography He was ...

: 12 September 1917 – 7 April 1918 * John Blake Powell: 7 April 1918 – 1918 *

Denis Henry Sir Denis Stanislaus Henry, 1st Baronet, (7 March 1864 – 1 October 1925), was a British lawyer and politician who became the first Lord Chief Justice of Northern Ireland. Henry was born in Cahore, Draperstown, County Londonderry, the son ...

: 27 November 1918 – 6 July 1919 *

Daniel Martin Wilson Daniel Martin Wilson (1862 – 5 January 1932) was an Irish politician and judge. He was born in Limerick, the son of Rev. David Wilson, and was educated at the Royal Belfast Academical Institution and at Trinity College Dublin. He was married ...

: 6 July 1919 – June 1921 *

Thomas Watters Brown Thomas Watters Brown, KC, PC, PC (NI) (17 March 1879 – 7 October 1944) was an Irish lawyer and politician. Thomas Watters Brown was born at The Square in Newtownards, County Down on 17 March 1879 and was the son of James A. Brown, a wool ...

: 12 June 1921 – 5 August 1921 *''Office abolished thereafter''

Principal Solicitors for Ireland (1537–1574)

Walter Cowley Walter Cowley (c.1500 – 1548) was an Irish lawyer and politician who was the first holder of the office of Principal Solicitor for Ireland, which was created for him. He was a client of Thomas Cromwell, and later of John Alan, the Lord Chancel ...

: 7 September 1537 – 1546 * John Bathe: 7 February 1546 – 1550 *

: 17 October 1550 – 1574There is considerable confusion as to who held the offices of Solicitor-General and Principal Solicitor during this period. Smyth states that Finglas was Principal Solicitor from 1554 until his death in 1574. Hart gives the same date for Finglas's death but refers to him as Solicitor General. *

: 20 July 1554 – 1565 * Lucas Dillon 1565 – 1566 * John Bathe (cousin of the earlier John Bathe): 20 October 1570 – 1574