Maurice FitzGerald, 9th Duke of Leinster (born 7 April 1948), styled Earl of Offaly before 1976 and Marquess of Kildare between 1976 and 2004, is an Irish

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

 nobleman. The Duke is the highest ranking member of the Peerage of Ireland

Peerage of Ireland

The Peerage of Ireland is the term used for those titles of nobility created by the English and later British monarchs of Ireland in their capacity as Lord or King of Ireland. The creation of such titles came to an end in the 19th century. The ranks of the Irish peerage are Duke, Marquess, Earl,...

.

Life and education

He is the son of late Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Duke of Leinster

Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Duke of Leinster

thumb|right|200px|Portrait by [[Allan Warren]]Gerald FitzGerald, 8th Duke of Leinster was an Irish nobleman.-Biography:The 8th Duke of Leinster was the first son of the 7th Duke by his first wife May Etheridge...

 and Anne Smith. He was educated at Millfield School in Street, Somerset

Street, Somerset

Street is a small village and civil parish in the county of Somerset, England. It is situated on a dry spot in the Somerset Levels, at the end of the Polden Hills, south-west of Glastonbury. The 2001 census records the village as having a population of 11,066...

, in south-west England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

. With the death of his father in 2004 he succeeded to the Dukedom and became the 9th Duke of Leinster.

Marriage and children

Maurice FitzGerald, then styled the Earl of Offaly, married Fiona Mary Francesca Hollick on 19 February 1972. The couple had three children:

• Thomas FitzGerald, Earl of Offaly
  Thomas FitzGerald, Earl of Offaly
  Thomas FitzGerald, Earl of Offaly was the only son of Maurice FitzGerald, Marquess of Kildare ....
  
   (1974–1997)
• Lady Francesca Emily Purcell FitzGerald (born 6 July 1976), has two children by Stephen Thompstone. They are now separated.
• Lady Pollyanna Louisa Clementine FitzGerald (born John Radcliffe Hospital
  John Radcliffe Hospital
  The John Radcliffe Hospital is a large tertiary teaching hospital in Oxford, England.It is the main teaching hospital for Oxford University and Oxford Brookes University. As such, it is a well-developed centre of medical research. It also incorporates the Medical School of the University of Oxford....
  
  , Oxford
  Oxford
  The city of Oxford is the county town of Oxfordshire, England. The city, made prominent by its medieval university, has a population of just under 165,000, with 153,900 living within the district boundary. It lies about 50 miles north-west of London. The rivers Cherwell and Thames run through...
  
  , Oxfordshire
  Oxfordshire
  Oxfordshire is a county in the South East region of England, bordering on Warwickshire and Northamptonshire , Buckinghamshire , Berkshire , Wiltshire and Gloucestershire ....
  
  , 9 May 1982), unmarried

Leinster's son Thomas FitzGerald was killed in a car accident in Ireland in 1997 at the age of 23 (when the Duke was still Marquess of Kildare). The heir presumptive is now therefore Lord John FitzGerald

Lord John FitzGerald

Captain Lord John FitzGerald is a British soldier and member of the Kildare branch of the FitzGerald dynasty. He was educated at Millfield and studied at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst...

, the Duke's younger brother.

Further Sources

• Peterkin, Tom; Elsworth, Catherine. A Californian claimant, an 'escape' from the trenches and the fight for a dukedom, Daily Telegraph, February 28, 2006. Accessed June 12, 2008.
• Ducal House of Leinster