FAI has been founded in 1982 in Munich, Germany by enthusiastic collectors around the Irish philately under the name Study and Research Group on Irish Philately.

Our members are occupied with all aspects of the Irish Philately, e.g. with the Irish Postal History including the mileages and associated fees, the old post routes and postal rates in general or the Maltese crosses used in Ireland. We also do research work on the old cancelling machines, on the Irish military postel history, censor mail and the mail of the prisoners of war, Irish stationary, international reply coupons and fiscal stamps. The postal historical documentation of the history of the struggle for the Irish independance between 1916 and 1926 is also exciting.

As we mostly publish the results of our researches we have already issued 30 volumes of such literature in form of FAI-publications within the last 30 years. The books are written bilingual in English and German. Quality and quantity of our publications puts us into an extraordinary high position within the international philately. Our members receive our publications with a special membership discount.

Our journal  DIE HARFE  is issued three times per year. It contains information around the Irish philately, culture and history on about 200 pages per year. Each member is invited to write an article about the special area of collection or to write a report about actual topics. As our members coming from all parts of the world, our magazin  DIE HARFE  is bilingual in English and German. Together with  DIE HARFE  the auction catalogue of our internal auction is also posted.

Via our special book service FAI-literature or special philatelic literature about Ireland can be purchased, in addition to that we have our own extensive library, from which our members are entitled to lent books around the Irish Philately.

Each year we hold our Annual General Meetings on a different location in Germany, they are visited very numerously. They all are organized including a frame programme by a member who is living in the area of the planned location. There is no doubt that during these meetings the philately is placed in the centre but this does not say that we abandon social networking and other topics together with a glas of Guinness.

A big attraction for our members is also the national Irish Stamps exhibition STAMPA in Dublin, which takes place each year in autumn. On this occasion we meet our friends from all over the world and expert discussion and enjoying the Irish culture.

So, why not becoming a member of FAI?