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<\/p>\nThe National Archives officially released Census 1926 records at midnight, after the expiry of the 100-year limitation on their publication.<\/p>\n
It is freely available and searchable on www.nationalarchives.ie following three years of work on more than 750,000 individual household and enumerator returns.<\/p>\n
The 1926 Census was the first census carried out in the Irish Free State.<\/p>\n
Search the 1926 Census<\/p>\n
First names, surnames, counties, townlands\/streets, and District Electoral Divisions can be used to search through the records.<\/p>\n
You can also search using the map (see below). It gives geographical insights into your Census 1926 search and covers the 26 counties that were included in the census.<\/p>\n
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The National Archives said most people will find their relatives quickly and easily in the 1926 Census.<\/p>\n
“The majority of names, households and addresses appear exactly as expected, and the search tools are designed to help you get started straight away,” it said.<\/p>\n
“A small number of cases may require a little more detective work, but for most users the first steps of the search will be simple and rewarding.”<\/p>\n
To help with trickier searches, the National Archives developed a list of tips and tricks to ensure you get the information you are after.<\/p>\n
These include:<\/p>\n
Try different spellings: Names were written in many ways. Try alternative spellings or use a wildcard ()* to replace part of a name;
\nUse wildcards to widen searches: Searching Mac* will return MacCarthy, MacMahon, MacAuley and similar names. Searching O\u2019R* will return O\u2019Reilly, O\u2019Rourke, O\u2019Riordan and more;
\nCheck O’ and Mc\/Mac names: Try all versions: O\u2019Riley, ORiley, O Riley, McCormick, MacCormick, Mc Cormick;
\nTry the Irish version of the name: Some forms were completed in Irish. Michael may appear as Miche\u00e1l, Mary as M\u00e1ire, John as Se\u00e1n;
\nSearch with or without fadas: The system recognises both. Sean and Se\u00e1n return the same results;
\nLook for other family members: If you can\u2019t find one person, try searching for a sibling or spouse;
\nSearch by place: If you know the townland or street, browse the households listed there instead of relying on name search;
\nExpect older or phonetic spellings: Irish and English spellings varied in 1926. Names were written as they sounded.<\/p>\n
Finding people in institutions<\/p>\n
Large institutions such as industrial schools, hospitals, barracks, asylums, and workhouses often appear in the census as long, continuous lists of residents, the National Archives said.<\/p>\n
“Because of their size and the way they were recorded, searching for someone in an institution can work a little differently from searching for a private household.<\/p>\n
“The most effective approach is usually to search by place rather than by name. Institutions are listed under the name of the head of household \u2014 for example a superintendent, matron, brother or officer \u2014 rather than under the names of the residents themselves.<\/p>\n
“Once you locate the institution through its townland or street, you can scroll through the full sequence of forms to view everyone living there on census night.”<\/p>\n