Monarchical systems of government have existed in Ireland from ancient times. In most of Ireland, this continued until 1949, when it transitioned to being the Republic of Ireland. Northern Ireland, as part of the United Kingdom, remains under a monarchical system of government.
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair
Henry VIII claimed the title "King of Ireland" in 1542.
Jacobite pretender, Henry Benedict Stuart. The French Directory suggested to United Irishmen making him King of the Irish in 1798 but were rebuffed. Many Irishmen were Jacobites in the early 18th century.
Leinster House, Dublin, decorated for the visit of King George V and Queen Mary in 1911. Within a decade it was the seat of the Oireachtas of the Irish Free State.
Ireland is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the second-largest island of the British Isles, the third-largest in Europe, and the twentieth-largest in the world.
Satellite image, October 2010
The Uragh Stone Circle, a Neolithic stone circle in Tuosist, close to Gleninchaquin Park, County Kerry
A folio of the Book of Kells showing Christ enthroned
Remains of the 12th-century Trim Castle in County Meath, the largest Norman castle in Ireland
