As one of the two national human rights institutions (NHRIs) on the island of Ireland, like the Northern Ireland Human Rights Commission (NIHRC) its creation was a consequence of the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement of 10 April 1998.
The IHRC had a full-time president and 14 part-time commissioners, who served for five-year terms.
The first president was Donal Barrington, a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Ireland.
He was succeeded in August 2002 by former Fine Gael senator Dr Maurice Manning.
The functions of the IHRC included advising on the compatibility of legislation with the rights protected by the Constitution of Ireland and by international treaties to which the state is party.