Fergus Gillespie is the President of the IGRS. He was the Chief Herald of Ireland from 2005 to 2009.

The O’Conor Don Vice-President

Sir Christopher Coote, Bt – Vice President

Julian C Walton Vice-President

Mary Casteleyn, FCILP FIGRS
Vice-President

Rosalind G McCutcheon FIGRS
Vice-President & Vice-Chairman

Peter Manning FIGRS
Vice President and General Secretary
Peter became a member of the Society in 1981 after discovering his Irish ancestral roots lay in the counties of Roscommon and Galway through a line of the O’Mainnins of Menlough Ui Mainnin.After many months of pleasant and fruitful research in the Society’s library he undertook the task of indexing the Society’s early journals, this work continued with the indexing of eight volumes of The Irish Genealogist which kept him busy for the following twenty years. His additional indexing work for the Society led to some twenty-three volumes which included the Hussey-Walsh Manuscripts, the Irish Patent Rolls of James I, the Irish Ancestor Journal and the Elphin Diocesan Census in total some quarter of a million names. His indexing of the Family History Box Files saved many tedious hours of searching through these files.
His undertaking of sales for the Society has raised several thousand pounds over the years.
He was elected a Fellow of the Society in November 1987 when running the Members Interest Scheme. He became a regular attendee at the library assisting member’s with research and inquiries and was elected to the Society’s Council in 1993. He became its Hon. Chairman from 2001 to 2010. Since then he has taken on the role of Hon. General Secretary. He was elected a Vice President in 2013.
He has been very happy for the Society to use his home address as the official address of the Society for the receipt of many hundreds of letters over the years.
After some thirty-five years as a member, Peter continues to undertake many of the above commitments for the Society.

Ramón, The O’Dogherty of Innishowen
Vice-President

Claire Bradley is the chairperson of the Ireland Branch. She began work on her family tree at the age of 12 and picked it up seriously after college. In 2011, she completed the UCD Certificate in Family History and has worked as a freelance genealogist since then. She joined the society in 2012 and quickly became an active member.

Nick Reddan, MSc GradDipStat, BEc FIGRS
Webmaster

David J. Butler, PhD has been a member of The Irish Genealogical Research Society since 2003, the same year he submitted an article to The Irish Genealogist, based on research uncovered while completing his doctorate in historical geography at University College Cork. He was appointed Hon. Editor of The Irish Genealogist in May 2012, effective Volume 13:4 (2013) to date. He has also edited Journal of the Butler Society since 2006 and is author/editor of over fifty publications, ranging from articles and books to journals and reports.
An historical geographer by training, David lectures in geography at University College Cork and coordinates adult education online and on-campus qualifications in genealogy/history of family there, as also at the University of Limerick. David is a committed inter-disciplinarian, and holds Fellowships of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS), the Royal Historical Society (FRHistS) and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce (FRSA).

Mark started researching his family history 25 years ago and joined the IGRS in 1996 to help further his research into his paternal Cork ancestry. He took the Certificate in Genealogy and Family History evening course at Birkbeck College London. More recently he offered to help in the Society’s library and shortly thereafter in 2013 became Membership Secretary. At the same time he was co-opted to the Society’s governing Council and has been re-elected subsequently. He is a Chartered Surveyor by profession and lives near Harrow with his wife and two children.

Following nearly 20 years of working with data commercially, Ruth turned her attention to her family history about 10 years ago, applying the same rigorous logic to hunting down ancestors all over the world. After completing a Post-Graduate course in Genealogy, she has specialised in analysing Irish and Scottish records, reflecting her own roots. She has completed commissions for clients via her Kindred Ancestry business and has complied a free website of resource links and advice called Irish Geneaography. She is also interested in the power of maps to make family history research more interesting and interactive.