PAUL GORRY has had a lifelong interest in local and family history and he has been engaged in genealogical research on a professional basis for twenty years. He began his professional career as a freelance researcher for the state-run Genealogical Office, Dublin, in 1979. The guidance of the experienced genealogists on the research panel was invaluable in developing his knowledge of sources and techniques. This informal "apprenticeship" gave him the skills to match his passion for the subject. Since 1987 he has been operating entirely through the firm of GORRY RESEARCH, conducting and supervising genealogical searches for hundreds of clients. In advance of the state visits of the then Canadian Prime Minister, Brian Mulroney, (in 1991) and the U.S. President, Bill Clinton, (in 1995), Paul Gorry was commissioned by the Irish government , through the Genealogical Office, to research their Irish ancestry. The RESEARCH ASSESSMENT service offered on this site is conducted personally by him.

Pursuing his interest in local history, Paul joined the Kildare Archaeological Society in 1979. In 1980 he founded the West Wicklow Historical Society (WWHS) and he was its Chairman in 1980-1981. He served on the sub-committee that edited the three issues of the West Wicklow Historical Society Journal which have so far been produced, and contributed several articles to it. In 1985 he was engaged by the WWHS as supervisor of the first church register indexing project conducted in Co. Wicklow. This was a six month state-funded project.

He has been a member of the Irish Genealogical Research Society (IGRS) since 1980 and of the Society of Genealogists [London] since 1987. When the Ireland Branch of the IGRS was established in 1986 he was elected to its committee. He served on that committee in 1986-1989 and 1997-1998. He was a founder member of the Association of Professional Genealogists in Ireland (APGI) and was its Hon. Secretary for 1988-1991. In 1989 Paul brought together a group of individuals to organise an international conference on Irish genealogy. This group staged the 1st Irish Genealogical Congress (IGC) in 1991. To date there have been four events, the others being held in 1994, 1997 and 2001. Paul was Chairman of the IGC from its inception to 2002. In 1995/6 he also served as Chairman of the Council of Irish Genealogical Organisations (CIGO).

Paul Gorry has written extensively on genealogical topics. He has been a frequent contributor to Family Tree and Irish Roots magazines over the years. He has also published articles on Irish golf history. With Máire Mac Conghail he was joint-author of the book Tracing Irish Ancestors, (HarperCollins, Glasgow, 1997). He also wrote Baltinglass Golf Club, 1928-2003, published in 2003.

Paul has considerable experience in teaching and lecturing on genealogy. In the 1980s he taught several "Tracing Your Family Tree" classes for the Adult Education programme at Newpark Comprehensive School, Dublin. With Teri Garvey, he conducted annual hands-on courses on genealogy under the Blackrock Teachers' Centre, Dublin, for several years. As well as giving lectures at various venues in Ireland and in London, Paul has spoken at all three Irish Genealogical Congresses and at the Society of Genealogists' 75th Anniversary Congress in Oxford (1986), the National Genealogical Society's Conference in Jacksonville , Florida (1992), the Irish Genealogical Seminar in Hervey Bay, Queensland (1995) and the 8th British Family History Conference in York (1997).

In June 1999 Paul Gorry was elected a Fellow of the Society of Genealogists. He was the featured speaker at the New England Historic Genealogical Society's Irish Genealogical Conference at Randolph, Massachusetts, in September 1999. In February 2000 he spoke at conferences in Detroit (hosted by the Irish Genealogical Society of Michigan & the Burton Collection of Detroit Public Libaray) and Cleveland (hosted by the Genealogical Committee of Western Reserve Historical Society).