Making an Irish Free State City – Preparing for the 1926 Census

In late March 1926, Sir William J Thompson, Registrar-General of the Irish Free State, gave a notable lecture to the Cork Chamber of Commerce. Sir Thompson gave a history of previous census rollouts. He then described the preparatory work in the winter of 1925 and spring of 1926.

Sir Thompson outlined in his detailed paper, part of which was published in the Cork Examiner (2 April 1926), that up to 1926 the taking of the census of Ireland had been under a special census act. Such an act was always passed about the middle of the year prior to a census. Even before the passing of the act a good deal of the preliminary work was always done. On the 1926 occasion, the census was being taken under the Statistics Act by the Ministry of Industry and Commerce.

An official committee began preliminary work in September 1925. Each government department received a letter notifying them of the government’s/executive council’s decision to conduct a census in the spring of 1926. Their feedback and suggestions were requested.

A communication was sent to the Statistical and Social Inquiry Society, who appointed a special committee to help in the matter. The Professors of Ireland’s universities were also invited to make suggestions. Much help was thus obtained.

In his Cork paper, Sir Thompson outlined that there were many challenges in collating all of the suggestions. “Had all the suggestions from the different services been incorporated in the A Form I need hardly say that, instead of being the size it is, 23 inches by 10 inches, it would have been at least double that size. The elimination and cutting down of queries had to be done carefully and with due consideration to the present conditions and urgent economic and other problems in the Free State.”

Sir Thompson highlighted that a thorough review was needed before finalising the census form to resolve all concerns and to ensure collection of valuable new data for the State. The committee was mindful that asking too many questions could confuse the head of the house. In this regard, Sir Thompson noted: “What is wanted, and what I hope you will agree has been done, is that the queries should be as direct and simple as possible.”

Two queries asked in 1911 were eliminated in the 1926 form - education and disability in deaf, dumb and blind.

The education query, as asked in 1911, was deemed elementary. “State whether you can read or write or read only or cannot read”. Sir Thompson asserted that the school age for the read and write standard had improved and was now seven years of age, when most children of ordinary education could answer in the positive. It was only those advanced in years who answered in the negative, and as this, according to Sir Thompson, had been a diminishing number for the past three or four censuses - “the query was considered less useful than any of the questions which now appear on Form A”.

The disability question was reviewed but ultimately dismissed because previous responses were deemed unreliable. Sir Thompson details of cautious parents: “Parents do not wish to put down in writing any infirmity amongst the family, and with the usual parental love they hope that the children may get better. In the last census there were more than three times the number of deaths recorded from tuberculosis than the number returned as suffering from this disease, viz., 9,623 and 3,086. Such a question is rarely asked in other countries.”

For the 1926 census form the query under “particulars as to marriage” was amplified. It sought to bring in information on orphanhood and dependency. From those queries valuable information could be acquired for a consideration of such questions as the “family wage” and provision for “widows and orphans”.

The Irish language was given more attention and prominence than before. The 1911 column for rank, profession, or occupation was expanded, with two columns added for these questions.

Column K was anticipated to provide clear details about individuals’ occupations in agriculture, trade, or manufacturing. It would also specify materials handled, products produced, differentiate between makers and dealers, and include information concerning unemployment.

Column I separated employers, self-employed, and employees to determine how many people fill specific roles in each industry and service.

Sir Thompson described that the organising of the country into suitable districts known as ‘enumerators’ districts’ was a matter of departmental arrangement with the Commissioner of the Civic Guard. The arrangement was that a family form would be left by members of the Civic Guard at each “house, residence, tenement, hotel, club, institution, etc.”, a few days before Sunday 18 April, census night. On Monday 19 April, the Civic Guard commenced the collection of the forms.

To be continued…

In accordance with the 100-year rule, more than 700,000 individual household returns from the 1926 census was made freely available and searchable on the National Archives website on 18 April.

April 2026 historical walking tours with Kieran: All tours free, 2 hours, no booking required, note different times

Saturday 25 April: The Friar’s Walk Tour; Discover Red Abbey, Elizabeth Fort, Barrack Street, Callanan’s Tower & Greenmount area; meet at Red Abbey tower, off Douglas Street at 1pm in association with the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival.

Sunday 26 April: The Shandon Tour; meet at North Main Street/Adelaide Street Square, opp. Cork Volunteer Centre at 1pm in association with the Cork Lifelong Learning Festival.