Crossword Genius

Irish leader to put round article: one shilling apiece (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

taoiseach

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'irish leader' is the definition.
I don't know anything about this answer so I can't tell whether it can be defined by this definition.

'to put round article one shilling apiece' is the wordplay.
'put round' indicates putting letters inside.
'article' becomes 'a' (the indefinite article in English).
'one' becomes 'i' (Roman numeral).
'shilling' becomes 's' (abbreviation e.g. Lsd - pounds, shillings, pence).
'apiece' becomes 'each' (synonyms).
'to' enclosing 'a' is 'tao'.
'tao'+'i'+'s'+'each'='TAOISEACH'

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for taoiseach that I've seen before include "Irish premier" , "Irish PM" , "Irish head of government" , "Western PM" , "PM in Dublin" .)

I've seen this clue in The Times.
Want a hint initially instead of a full solution? Install my app