A census is a count and description of the population of an area. When available, census records can provide names, ages, occupations, marital statuses, birthplaces, and family members' relationships. Censuses can also provide clues that lead to other records. A census may list only selected people for a special reason (such as males between the ages of 16 and 45 for military purposes) or the whole population. The percentage of people listed depends on the purpose of the census and on how careful the enumerator was.

Various types of censuses have been taken by civil authorities to determine such things as:

• Makeup of the population.
• Religion of the population.
• Military readiness.
• Taxes for support of the state church (called tithes).
• Taxes for poor relief (called poor rates).
• The number and identities of eligible voters (recorded in poll books).
  

For information on these census types, see the “Military Records,” “Church Records,” “Land Records,” and “Taxation” sections of this outline. Poll books are not discussed in this outline but a few are listed in the Locality Search of the catalog under the following headings:

IRELAND, [COUNTY] - VOTING REGISTERSIRELAND, [COUNTY], [PARISH] - VOTING REGISTERS

Civil Censuses of the Population

Government censuses of the population are particularly valuable because they list nearly all the population at a given time. The Irish government took a census in 1813 (which no longer exists), then every ten years from 1821 through 1911. Due to the Irish Civil War of 1921-22, another census was not taken until 1926. The next census was taken in 1936. Starting in 1946, censuses were taken every five years through 1971. Since 1971, censuses have been taken every ten years.

Only parts of the early censuses survive. The censuses from 1821 through 1851 were mostly destroyed in the 1922 fire at the Public Record Office in Dublin. The censuses from 1861 through 1891 were destroyed by the government sometime after statistics had been compiled from them.

The 1901 census is the first complete census available for Ireland. The 1901 and 1911 censuses are available to the public, but all censuses taken since 1911 are not.

The 1821 to 1851 censuses are divided by county, barony, civil parish, and townland. The 1901 and 1911 censuses are divided by county, electoral division, and townland.

You will find the following information in the various censuses:

1821. The 1821 census lists—for every member of the household—name, age, occupation, and relationship to the head of the household. The census also records the acreage held by the head of the household and the number of stories the dwelling had.

1831. The 1831 census lists only the head of the household, the number of children and adults in the household, and the religion of each household member.

1841. The 1841 census lists—for every member of the household—name, age, sex, relationship to the head of the household, marital status (and if married, the number of years married), occupation, and birthplace.

1851. The 1851 census gives the same information as the 1841 census. In addition, it has two schedules that were filled out if applicable. One reported absent members of the household and provided the standard census information plus the current place of residence for each. The other listed members of the household who had died since the last census and recorded for each the cause and year of death, age at death, sex, relationship to the head of the household, and occupation.

1901. The 1901 census lists—for every member of the household—name, age, sex, relationship to the head of the household, religion, occupation, marital status, county of birth (except for foreign births, which give country only), whether the individual spoke Irish, and whether the individual could read or write.

1911. The 1911 census lists the same information as the 1901 census and adds for married women the number of years she had been married to her current husband, the number of children that had been born to them, and the number of their children who were still alive.

The Public Record Office of Northern Ireland has some census records for Northern Ireland. All other census records, including the surviving early fragments, are kept at the National Archives. For a more detailed list of surviving census returns, see:

Begley, Donal F., ed. Irish Genealogy: A Record Finder (see the “For Further Reading” section).

Ryan, James. Irish Records. (See the “For Further Reading” section).

The Family History Library has microfilm copies of the early census fragments, the 1901 census, and the 1911 census. These are listed in the Locality Search of the catalog under the following headings:

IRELAND - CENSUSIRELAND, [COUNTY], [PARISH] - CENSUS