The Office

In the old Gaelic order, the Tánaiste — literally the second — was the successor-designate, chosen by the clan during the sitting chief's lifetime. The office is older than the earldoms and older than the English writ. It is the mechanism that, for twelve hundred years, kept the chiefship of the Uí Fhiachrach Muaidhe in capable hands: not by accident of birth order, but by deliberate election from within the kindred.

At Cahirmore on 9 October 2025 the Council of the Clan inaugurated Sean O'Dowda Stephens as the ninth modern Taoiseach — and, in the same act, named Terry Rochford as his Tánaiste and designated successor. Terry will be inaugurated as the tenth modern Taoiseach at the 2028 Rally.

Terry Rochford

Terry is a retired Illinois State Trooper and a former Chief of Police — a career of public service in uniform on the American side of the diaspora. He and his wife of twenty-one years, Carianne, keep busy with his four children, nine grandchildren and six great-grandchildren: a working family of the kind the old Uí Fhiachrach texts would have called a derbfine in miniature.

By his own admission a poor golfer, he is an avid fan of Notre Dame football and Illini men's basketball. As Tánaiste he supports the Taoiseach in leadership and council planning, and stands as the designated successor to the White Wand.

What the Tánaiste Does

Until inauguration, the Tánaiste carries three working responsibilities inside the Council:

Succession. He is the designated next Taoiseach. The Council's choice of a Tánaiste during a sitting chief's term is precisely what tanistry meant in the old law — the orderly, elective passing of the chiefship from one capable holder to the next.

Support. He stands with the Taoiseach in the public offices of the clan — rallies, correspondence, external representation — and carries the load where two hands are needed.

Council planning. He helps shape the agenda of the Council and the preparation for the next Rally, when he himself will be inaugurated.