Genealogical Society of Ireland
Encyclopedia
Genealogical Society of Ireland (Cumann Geinealais na hÉireann) is a voluntary non-governmental organisation promoting the study of genealogy
, heraldry
, vexillology
and social history
in Ireland
and amongst the Irish Diaspora
as open access educational leisure pursuits available to all. 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 for Seanad Éireann
.
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 Pádraic Ingoldsby, MGSI http://www.familyhistory.ie/board.htm who was elected in March 2010. The Society received a Grant of Arms from the Chief Herald of Ireland 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 Carlisle Pier, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. This premises was allocated to the Society by the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company in May 2010.
As a matter of policy the Society upholds and advocates the “principle of public ownership and right of access” to our heritage and in order to fully embrace the realities of a new and changing Ireland, the Society has adopted a comprehensive Social Inclusion Policy with the objective of encouraging and facilitating the fullest participation by the “New Irish” in the activities of the Society.
The Society does not engage in any commercial research assignments however, its members undertake their individual research in a professional manner to the highest standards. Indeed, many of the members of the Society have placed their research in the public arena through the submission of articles to various periodicals and in dedicated publications.
In May 2006, the Genealogy and Heraldry Bill, 2006
, was introduced in Seanad Éireann
(Irish Senate) by Senator Brendan Ryan. This Bill was researched, written and promoted by the Society, its officers, and members.
Fuller details on the Society, which is the most active genealogical organisation in Ireland, are available on its website and on Facebook.
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
, heraldry
Heraldry
Heraldry is the profession, study, or art of creating, granting, and blazoning arms and ruling on questions of rank or protocol, as exercised by an officer of arms. Heraldry comes from Anglo-Norman herald, from the Germanic compound harja-waldaz, "army commander"...
, vexillology
Vexillology
Vexillology is the scholarly study of flags. The word is a synthesis of the Latin word vexillum, meaning 'flag', and the Greek suffix -logy, meaning 'study'. The vexillum was a particular type of flag used by Roman legions during the classical era; its name is a diminutive form of the word velum...
and social history
Social history
Social history, often called the new social history, is a branch of History that includes history of ordinary people and their strategies of coping with life. In its "golden age" it was a major growth field in the 1960s and 1970s among scholars, and still is well represented in history departments...
in Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
and amongst the Irish Diaspora
Irish diaspora
thumb|Night Train with Reaper by London Irish artist [[Brian Whelan]] from the book Myth of Return, 2007The Irish diaspora consists of Irish emigrants and their descendants in countries such as the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Argentina, New Zealand, Mexico, South Africa,...
as open access educational leisure pursuits available to all. 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 for Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
.
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 Pádraic Ingoldsby, MGSI http://www.familyhistory.ie/board.htm who was elected in March 2010. The Society received a Grant of Arms from the Chief Herald of Ireland 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 Carlisle Pier, Dún Laoghaire, Co. Dublin. This premises was allocated to the Society by the Dún Laoghaire Harbour Company in May 2010.
As a matter of policy the Society upholds and advocates the “principle of public ownership and right of access” to our heritage and in order to fully embrace the realities of a new and changing Ireland, the Society has adopted a comprehensive Social Inclusion Policy with the objective of encouraging and facilitating the fullest participation by the “New Irish” in the activities of the Society.
The Society does not engage in any commercial research assignments however, its members undertake their individual research in a professional manner to the highest standards. Indeed, many of the members of the Society have placed their research in the public arena through the submission of articles to various periodicals and in dedicated publications.
In May 2006, the Genealogy and Heraldry Bill, 2006
Genealogy and Heraldry Bill, 2006
The Genealogy and Heraldry Bill 2006 was a private member's bill introduced in Seanad Éireann by Brendan Ryan to reform the statuory basis for the office of Chief Herald of Ireland. The bill was drafted by Michael Merrigan, co-founder of the Genealogical Society of Ireland...
, was introduced in Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann
Seanad Éireann is the upper house of the Oireachtas , which also comprises the President of Ireland and Dáil Éireann . It is commonly called the Seanad or Senate and its members Senators or Seanadóirí . Unlike Dáil Éireann, it is not directly elected but consists of a mixture of members chosen by...
(Irish Senate) by Senator Brendan Ryan. This Bill was researched, written and promoted by the Society, its officers, and members.
Fuller details on the Society, which is the most active genealogical organisation in Ireland, are available on its website and on Facebook.