At the end of 1971 Major R.F. Ruttledge, founder of the Irish Bird Report, retired as its editor after nineteen years to give more time to his work on The Birds of the Western Palearctic (Preston 1973). During this time, Major Ruttledge had assumed primary responsibility for the assessment of all claims of rare and scarce species in Ireland, soliciting the assistance of acknowledged expert(s) in cases where he had insufficient personal knowledge of the species concerned. The Irish Records Panel (IRP) was established in 1971 with the aim of continuing Ruttledge's excellent work, its operation being modelled on the quite recently established British Birds Rarities Committee.

The decision to change the name of the IRP to the Irish Rare Birds Committee (IRBC) was taken at a meeting of the IRP in November 1984 because 'of a feeling that the former title has led to some confusion about the committee's sphere of activities' (Preston 1985).

The full list of past and present members along with their years of service etc. is displayed in the table below and a list of notes etc. published by the IRP and the IRBC is below that. Many of the IRBC's decisions outlined in various IRBC reports published in Irish Birds may be found in the Announcements section of this website.


Name Years of service Capacity
End
Sean Ronayne 2022 - present Voting
Aonghus O’Donaill 2021 - present Report Writer, non-voting
Paul Connaughton 2021 - present Voting
Graham Clarke 2021- present Batch Secretary, non-voting
Ian Stevenson 2018 - present Webmaster
Andrew McMillan 2018 - 2021 Voting
Lorraine Benson 2018 - 2019 Provisional List, non-voting
Colum Flynn 2017 - 2021 Batch Secretary, non-voting
Colin Barton 2016 - 2021 Report Writer, non-voting
Mícheál Cowming 2016 - 2022 Voting
Seamus Enright 2015 - present Voting
Niall T. Keogh 2015 - present Voting
Mark Carmody 2015 - 2015 Secretary non-voting
Paul Moore 2014 - 2018 Voting
Ciaran Cronin 2013 - 2015 Voting
Harry Hussey 2011 - present Voting
Dermot Breen 2010 - 2017 Voting
Kieran Fahy 2010 - 2015, 2015 - 2017 Secretary non-voting, Statistician
Dave Suddaby 2009 - 2015 Voting
Joe Hobbs 2008 - 2011, 2011 - 2018 Webmaster non-voting, Webmaster
Michael O'Keeffe 2008 - 2013 Voting
Richard H. (Dick) Coombes 2008 - 2014 Voting
Paul Archer 1999 - 2010 Voting
Aidan Duggan 1999 - 2004 Voting
Pat Lonergan 1998 - 2009 Voting
Paul Milne 1996 - 2009 Secretary non-voting
Éamonn MacLochlainn 1995 - 1996 Voting
Dave McAdams 1993 - 2010 Recorder non-voting, Voting
Aidan G. Kelly 1993 - 2009 Voting
Tom Kilbane 1990 - 1991 Voting
Anthony McGeehan 1988 - 1994 Voting
J.F. (Jim) Dowdall 1985 - 1998 Voting
Pat Smiddy 1984 - 1996 Secretary voting, Secretary non-voting
Kieran Grace 1982 - 1984 Secretary non-voting
Killian Mullarney 1980 - 2008 Voting
Colm C. Moore 1976 - 1979 Voting
J.E. (Jim) Fitzharris ** 1976 - 1981, 1982 - 2008 Secretary non-voting, Voting, Adviser
J.T.R. (Tim) Sharrock 1971 - 1976 Voting
Major Robert F. Ruttledge 1971 - 1982 Adviser
Ken Preston * 1971 - 1985 Secretary voting, Voting
Oscar J. Merne 1971 - 1994 Voting
Frank King 1971 - 1983 Voting
Tom Ennis 1971 - 1973 Voting

* Ken Preston served as voting Secretary of the IRP from 1971 to 1976.
** Jim Fitzharris served as Secretary from 1977 to 1981, as a voting member from 1982 to 1992 and as Adviser from 1992 to 2008.
† Pat Smiddy served as a voting Secretary from 1985 to 1989 and as non-voting Secretary from 1989 to 1996.
‡ Dave McAdams served as a voting member prior to becoming Recorder non-voting.

List of IRP and IRBC notes published in Irish Birds and elsewhere.

Fitzharris, J. 1994. Notes from the IRBC. Irish Birding News 3(4): 128-129.

Fitzharris, J. 1995. Notes from the IRBC. Irish Birdwatching 4(3): 32.

Fitzharris, J. 1995. Election of New Member to 'Rarities' Committee. IWC News 83: 19.

Fitzharris, J. 1996. Irish Rare Birds Committee Report. Irish Birds 5(4): 475-478.

Fitzharris, J. 1998. Irish Rare Birds Committee Report. Irish Birds 6(1): 91-96.

Fitzharris, J. & Smiddy, P. 1995. Irish Rare Birds Committee report. Irish Birds 5(3): 352-354.

Hussey, H. (on behalf of the IRBC) 2014. Buff-bellied Pipit Anthus rubescens: review of 20th century records. Irish Birds 10(1): 103-104.

Hussey, H. (on behalf of the IRBC) 2015. Lesser Golden Plover Pluvialis dominica / fulva - a review of 20th century records. Irish Birds 10(2): 266-267.

IRBC 2000. Irish Rare Birds Committee Report. Irish Birds 6(3): 407-416.

IRBC 2003. Irish Rare Birds Committee Report. Irish Birds 7(2): 243-252.

IRBC 2004. Irish Rare Birds Committee Report. Irish Birds 7(3): 413-418.

Irish Rare Birds Committee 2013. Irish Rare Birds Committee review of presumed vagrant Canada Goose Branta canadensis records to ascertain the occurrence of Cackling Goose Branta hutchinsii. Irish Birds 9(4): 613-622.

Moore, P. (on behalf of the IRBC) 2015. Bulwer's Petrel Bulweria bulwerii: review of Irish record and claimed records. Irish Birds 10(2): 264-265.

Mullarney, K. 1983. Irish Records Panel Report. Irish Birds 2(3): 264-375.

Mullarney, K. 1984. Review of Irish Records of Greenish Warblers. Irish Birds 2(4): 536-545.

Mullarney, K. 1986. Irish Rare Birds Committee report. Irish Birds 3(2): 337-338.

Mullarney, K. 1987. Irish Rare Birds Committee report. Irish Birds 3(3): 491-494.

Mullarney, K. 1988. Irish Rare Birds Committee report. Irish Birds 3(4): 649-652.

Mullarney, K. 1989. Irish Rare Birds Committee report. Irish Birds 4(1): 115-118.

Mullarney, K. 1990. Irish Rare Birds Committee report. Irish Birds 4(2): 258-260.

Mullarney, K. 1994. Review of previously accepted Irish records of Western Sandpiper. Irish Birds 5(2): 201-202.

Mullarney, K. 2001. Points of view: The trouble with gulls ... Birdwatch 110: 13.

Smiddy, P. 1990. Identification problems - The divers. Irish Birding News 1(2): 80-81.

Smiddy, P. 1990. The Irish Rare Birds Committee. Irish Birding News 1(1): 29-30.

Smiddy, P. 1992. Notes from the IRBC. Irish Birding News 2(3): 105.

Smiddy, P. 1992. Notes from the IRBC. Irish Birding News 3(1): 32.

Smiddy, P. 1993. Notes from the IRBC. Irish Birding News 3(2): 66.

References:

Preston, K. (ed.) 1973. Irish Bird Report, Twentieth Annual Report 1972. Irish Wildbird Conservancy.

Preston, K. (ed.) 1985. Thirty-second Irish Bird Report, 1984. Irish Birds 3(1): 105.