The Genealogical Society of Ireland ( ga, Cumann Geinealais na hÉireann) is a voluntary non-governmental organisation promoting the study of

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

heraldry Heraldry is a discipline relating to the design, display and study of armorial bearings (known as armory), as well as related disciplines, such as vexillology, together with the study of ceremony, rank and pedigree. Armory, the best-known bran ...

vexillology Vexillology ( ) is the study of the history, symbolism and usage of flags or, by extension, any interest in flags in general.Smith, Whitney. ''Flags Through the Ages and Across the World'' New York: McGraw-Hill, 1975. Print. The word is a synthe ...

and

social history Social history, often called the new social history, is a field of history that looks at the lived experience of the past. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in his ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel, the Irish Sea, and St George's Channel. Ireland is the s ...

and amongst the

Irish diaspora The Irish diaspora ( ga, Diaspóra na nGael) refers to ethnic Irish people and their descendants who live outside the island of Ireland. The phenomenon of migration from Ireland is recorded since the Early Middle Ages,Flechner and Meeder, The ...

as open access educational leisure pursuits available to all.

Founding, governance and purpose

Founded in 1990, the society has charitable status in Ireland and it is incorporated under the Companies Acts. Membership of the society is open to all and therefore, the society has both a national and international membership. The society is also a nominating body for the

Cultural and Educational Panel The Cultural and Educational Panel () is one of five vocational panels which together elect 43 of the 60 members of Seanad Éireann, the upper house of the Oireachtas (the legislature of Ireland). The Cultural and Educational Panel elects five ...

for

Seanad Éireann Seanad Éireann (, ; "Senate of Ireland") is the upper house of the Oireachtas (the Irish legislature), which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann (the lower house). It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its memb ...

. The society is governed by a Board of Directors which is elected annually at the Annual General Meeting held in March of each year. The current ''cathaoirleach'' (chairperson) is Gerry Hayden, who was elected in March 2018. The society received a grant of arms from the

Chief Herald of Ireland The Genealogical Office is an office of the Government of Ireland containing genealogical records. It includes the Office of the Chief Herald of Ireland ( ga, Príomh Aralt na hÉireann), the authority in Ireland for heraldry. The Chief Herald ...

in 2001. The activities of the society include two open meetings each month; the publication of a monthly newsletter, biannual journal and other occasional publications; the operation of an archive at the DLR Leisure Centre, Loughlinstown, County Dublin. The premises were allocated to the society by the Dún Laoghaire-Rathdown County Council in May 2016. The society does not engage in any commercial research assignments, however its members undertake individual research.

Political influence

In May 2006, the Genealogy and Heraldry Bill, 2006, was introduced in

(Irish Senate) by Senator Brendan Ryan. This bill was researched, written and promoted by the society, its officers, and members.

Affiliations

The Genealogical Society of Ireland, through its branch Vexillology Ireland, became a member of the

International Federation of Vexillological Associations The International Federation of Vexillological Associations (FIAV, French language, French acronym: ''Fédération internationale des associations vexillologiques'') is an international federation of 53 regional, national, and multinational assoc ...

(also known as FIAV) at the 25th International Congress of Vexillology in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte (river), Rotte'') is the second largest List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the Prov ...

the Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, in 2013.

References

External links

Genealogical Society of Ireland
{{Authority control Dún Laoghaire

Irish genealogy International Federation of Vexillological Associations Vexillological organizations Organizations established in 1990 Historical societies based in the Republic of Ireland 1990 establishments in Ireland Seanad nominating bodies