Foróige

The first club was formed in the town of Mooncoin, County Kilkenny on 14 March 1952 (1952-03-14) where the local school held a youth club for the schoolchildren. As this was a success, another 12 pilot clubs came together and in 1953, Macra na Tuaithe was created.

In 1958, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation in America secured a £30,000 grant to help fund an expansion of Macra na Tuaithe activities.^[5] In 1963, the organisation received its first funding from the Department of Education.

In 1971, Macra na Tuaithe began its expansion into urban areas with the opening of a permanent headquarters in Dublin, and developed the decision to build more Foróige clubs in urban areas. The first national conference for the organisation's volunteers took place in Termonfeckin, County Louth and this still continues today. In 1981, Marca na Tuaithe was renamed Foróige and the result of this change was to facilitate further expansion into growing urban areas.

In 2015, Foróige changed its governance from an association into a company limited by guarantee. This change enhanced the role the volunteers play in the organisation.