The Irish Red Grouse Conservation Trust (IRGCT) formally came into being in 2011 with representatives from Countryside Alliance Ireland, IFA Countryside, National Parks & Wildlife Service and the Pointer and Setter Field Trial Clubs in Ireland. Coillte and Bord na Mona have also been involved from the inception of the Trust. The IRGCT is here to assist and support any group or person wishing to become actively involved in the betterment of grouse across the island of Ireland.
The IRGCT is a purely voluntary organisation that is made up of a strong host of dedicated individuals with a shared vision for Irish grouse conservation and management. Without these people, our mountains and bogs would be in a far bleaker place than they are today.
We are all striving to improve the conservation status of not only grouse but all other unique species and habitats that are intertwined to create such a wonderful environment that we all hold very dear to our hearts.
A demonstration day organised by the IRGCT in Kilchreest Village Hall in September 2015. From left to right Kevin Kyne (IRGCT Vice Chairman), Merlin Becker (IRGCT Secretary), Irish Natura Hill Farmer representative, guest speaker from the Isle of Mann and Yorkshire, John Leech (IRGCT Chairman) and Jim Sheridan (IRGCT Founding Member).
We are very grateful to have received an Animal Welfare Grant of €3,375 in 2022 from the Department of Agriculture, Food and Marine for our voluntary work.
The IRGCT is delighted to have The Ballydangan Bog Red Grouse Conservation Project as one of our flagship projects. This wonderful example of community-driven conservation is leading the way in results-based nature recovery and championing our natural heritage of unique bogland environments across Ireland.