Irish Palatine Association History & Achievements

Since its inception in 1989 the Irish Palatine Association has endeavoured to preserve the rich heritage of Irish Palatine culture by encouraging and developing a sense of identity among Palatine families and their descendants, wherever they live in the World. This kindred spirit has been nurtured by re-kindling a relationship with their ancestral homelands, Rheinland-Pfalz in Germany and the Palatine settlements in Ireland. Also, through inter-marriage between the original refugee families, many of our members are related to one another.

One of the Association's original aims was to establish a purpose-built centre, housing an exhibition and archive to assist descendants researching their families. A period of tremendous activity and fund-raising ensured the opening of the Irish Palatine Museum and Heritage Centre in Rathkeale, County Limerick, Ireland in 1992. The majority of the Association's modest income is used to develop and administer the Centre. Most of this work is done by volunteers, so it has limited opening hours.

The Association has organized a number of events in Ireland that brought together members from most of the English-speaking countries as well as parties from Germany and other interested groups. The IPA organized a successful visit by 50 members to Germany in 1994, and a similar venture in May 2004. The IPA has also assisted with specific family gatherings in Ireland.

The generosity of its patrons and members has enabled the Association to gather a library of books relating to the history of Irish Palatines and the development of the Methodist church, together with a unique collection of family histories covering many of the Palatine families.