Find Ancestors in the Ireland 1911 Census
Irish Genealogy Database Available Online at the National Archives
Sep 18, 2009
The United Kingdom, including all 32 counties on the island of Ireland, conducted the 1911 census on April 2, 1911. Ireland's census returns are held at the National Archives in Dublin and became searchable online in August 2009.
Ireland's 1911 Census
According to the National Archives, the Irish 1911 census is unusual in that the original forms filled out by the householder still exist, not just the enumerator's books into which that information was transcribed. These are usually written in English, but sometimes in Irish. Census questions included:
- Name
- Relation to head of family
- Age and sex
- Years married
- Number of children born and number living
- Place of birth
- Religion
- Occupation
- Read & write
- Irish speaking
Another segment on the back of the form let the householder give address information, including street, parish, townland, barony, etc. If it was filled out in Irish, the English equivalent of the name is noted, and is also indexed.
Housing Information in the 1911 Census
The House and Building Return was filled out by the enumerator and listed details about each building, including number of rooms, number of windows in the front, and whether the building materials were permanent or perishable.
The House and Building Return also included how many families lived in the house, how many rooms each family occupied, and how many people in each family, thus giving a close-up look at urban overcrowding and poverty conditions.
Special Returns in the 1911 Census
Return of Out-Offices and Farm-Steadings: lists other buildings on the householder's property such as barns and coach houses, and gives a more complete view of a family's property.
Institutional Returns: these list people in institutional settings, such as boarding schools, hospitals, asylums and prisons. Often the individuals' initials were used instead of their names, but details of age, birth place, and previous occupation may help identify them.
Using the 1911 Census Online
While the 1911 census data has been available to the public since 1961, the National Archives just put them online in August 2009. They are free to search and free to view and copy the actual images.
The census can be searched by any combination of first name, last name, age, sex, county, townland or street, or enumeration district. Full name, age, county and townland will single out individuals if the information matches. Wider searches can be done if specific ones don't give results – all the 30-year-old Margarets in Mallow, County Cork, for instance (which resulted in 44 matching entries).
The National Archives website includes tips on searching for nicknames, spelling variations, and using wildcard searches. Planned enhancements include a program to help search for name variations, and a list of Irish names and occupations, with translations.
The 1901 census for Ireland is expected to be available online by mid-2010.
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