The Irish Genealogical Research Society

The Irish Genealogical Research Society The Irish Genealogical Research Society is a learned Society established in 1936. The primary concern back then was to gather together copies of materials compiled before the 1922 Great Fire at the Public Record Office in Dublin.

The core of their unique reference Library was formed at this time, and the collection has been greatly expanded since. The Library is currently located in London and is widely recognised as the world’s largest and most important collection of Irish genealogical material held in private hands.

History
In 2011 in his weekly column in The Irish Times, John Grenham – arguably Ireland’s most well-known modern day genealogist – described the Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS) as the “great granddaddy of all Irish family history societies“.

The Ireland Branch was established in 1967, and was reorganised with an elected committee in 1986, at the request of members living in the Irish Republic and in Northern Ireland.

In the last few decades, the IGRS has grown and prospered, in line with an upsurge of interest in family history research generally. In 2012, membership topped 700 individuals worldwide. The IGRS is involved in various educational and scholarly programmes and projects. For example, each year lectures are sponsored in both London and Dublin.

Benefits

 * The Irish Genealogist
 * Twice-annual newsletter and other publications
 * Access to the online members-only section of the website, as well as access to the Members Discussion Forum
 * Access to the unique library collection

Publications

 * The Irish Genealogist was first published in 1937 and fairly regularly since that time. Over the years, authors of articles have included some of the most well known and respected Irish genealogists. Along with the newsletters and electronic bulletins, the IGRS also periodically publishes special publications of genealogical interest.