1. a minor landowner or country gentleman, especially in Ireland
Usage: chiefly Irish; historical

Examples

• The local squireen owned several hundred acres in County Cork.
• Many squireens lost their estates during the economic troubles of the 19th century.
• He was considered a squireen, with enough land to live comfortably but not wealthy by aristocratic standards.
• The squireen’s manor house was modest compared to the grand estates of the nobility.
• Irish squireens often served as magistrates in their local communities.