On April 18, 2026, the National Archives of Ireland is releasing the 1926 Census of the Irish Free State online for free. This was the first census in Ireland after it was established as a free state. The release includes over 700,000 individual household returns that will be available online for free and will be searchable.
As a part of this release, the Archives is hosting a variety
of programs to help bring the census to life for those in Ireland and abroad
who seek to use these findings in their research. There has been an effort to
digitize the census.
In celebration of the census release, the National Archives
is hosting a variety of workshops and presentations for family historians and
those interested in history. There will be exhibitions in Dublin at Dublin
Castle, in London at the British Academy, and in Boston at Boston College in
April and May of 2026. A touring exhibition will travel throughout Ireland to
bring the census to communities across the nation.
The National Archives is teaming up with ANU Productions to
create a theatre production. This performance will take place at the National
Archives of Ireland in May of 2026. It will explore the human stories behind
the census data.
The Centenarian Ambassadors program is looking for people
who were born before 1926 and were included in the census. It is believed that
there are 1,000 people still alive who fit this criteria. The National Archives
is compiling their stories, especially about their reaction to seeing their
census information released. Anyone who has their information in the 1926
census or their families who are interested in being a Centenarian Ambassador
can contact the National Archives at census1926@nationalarchives.ie.
A special RTE documentary will provide new interpretations
of the census. It will feature historians, artists, and descendants of those
recorded in the census. Dublin will be hosting a conference in June of 2026
that will allow scholars, archivists, and the public to reflect on the census
and its legacy. There will also be a book released called “The Story of Us,
Independent Ireland and the 1926 Census.” The book is a collection of 18 essays
from leading historians that discuss the census.
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