Wednesday 31 December 2014

IGRS ends 2014 on a high with 1,000 members

With just two days to spare, the Irish Genealogical Research Society has achieved its number one resolution for 2014 – to increase its membership to 1,000.

IGRS Chairman Steven Smyrl told Irish Genealogy News that the Society has been striving to increase its membership over the past four years. 'For some years the current paid-up membership roll was stuck resolutely at around 350. But, with many new benefits now available to members and the publicity that followed the launch of our award-winning website, IrishAncestors.ie, membership has increased year on year.

'It stood at just under 850 at the beginning of 2014 so we set ourselves a goal to increase it to 1,000 by the end of the year. We've added more than 150 family historians during 2014.'

It was decided to reward the 1,000th member of the IGRS with an additional year’s membership – two years for the price of one. That 1,000th application application was received yesterday from Ivan Fitzgerald of Killiney Bay, just south of Dublin. Existing members of the IGRS may recognise his name as one of the contributors to this year’s edition of the Society’s annual journal, The Irish Genealogist, which was despatched just before Christmas. He is a native of Tramore, Co. Waterford, with an MA in Modern Irish History and a recent graduate of the UCD certificate course in Irish genealogy taught by Sean Murphy MA. His interest in genealogy was stimulated by the publication online of the Irish 1901 and 1911 census returns in 2009.

Ivan is a regular contributor to Facebook, where he is always happy to help others in their research with helpful suggestions and pointers. He regularly ‘hangs out’ in the FB page for County Waterford Genealogy.