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Poyning's Law refers to Sir Edward Poyning's declaration to the Irish Parliament at Drogheda in 1494. In his position as Vice-Roy to Ireland and Lord-Deputy, as appointed by King Henry VII of England, Poyning called together an assembly of the parliament. Coming in the aftermath of the divisive War of the Roses, Poyning's intention was to make Ireland once again obedient to the English monarchy.

Assembling the parliament on December 1 1494, he declared that the Irish Parliament was thereafter to be placed under the authority of the English Parliament. Thus, all matters of legislation and law passed by the Irish legislature would have to be approved first by the King of England, his council, the English Parliament, as well as the Executive Council in Dublin, before gaining approval. This in effect made the Irish Parliament subservient to that of England. Further, the Irish parliament could now only be summoned by a direct order of the English government.

This marked the beginning of direct Tudor rule in Ireland, although Henry VII was still forced to rely on Old Irish nobles such as the Earls of Kildare (despite his support for Lambert Simnel – see 24 May 1487) as his deputies in Ireland through the intervening years.

Poyning's Law was a major rallying point for groups seeking self government for Ireland, particularly the Confederate Catholics in the 1640s. It was also a major grievance for Grattan's Patriot Party in the late eighteenth century, who consistently sought a repeal of Poyning's Law. However, the Act remained in place until the so-called Constitution of 1782 gave the Irish parliament legislative independence.

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