Irish Genealogical Research Society


The Irish Genealogical Research Society is a society founded in 1936 by the Reverend Wallace G. Clare to build up a library and archive of Irish genealogical material to offset the loss of many Public Record Office documents in the burning of the Four Courts in Dublin, during fighting in 1922.
The IGRS is a UK-registered charity, based in London, the earliest founded society for Irish genealogical research, and the first established by expatriates from Ireland. The IGRS library is the largest private collection of Irish genealogical material outside of Ireland.

History

Acquisitions of genealogical material were first stored at Gray's Inn, London, before being transferred to Thornton College, Bletchley, Buckinghamshire, during World War II. Subsequently the library was installed in the Challoner Club until 1997, then at the Irish Club in Eaton Square, before moving to its current, temporary, home at the Society of Genealogists in London.

Membership

The Irish Branch of the IGRS was founded in 1967 and has become a major part of the organisation. Membership is open to all applicants who have an interest in Irish ancestry and it has typically ranged between 500 and 1000 over recent decades.

Publications

The IGRS produces an annual print publication, The Irish Genealogist, comprising field-work research and scholarly articles of Irish family history. Fourteen volumes have been published, with the 15th currently being issued to the membership in the usual six parts.
During the 1980s a newsletter was started, continuing today in an electronic form.