Making an Irish Free State City – Census Day, 18 April 1926

The 1926 census of the 26 counties of Ireland was conducted on 18 April 1926. It marked the first census after the establishment of the Irish Free State and the first since 1911 due to the War of Independence and the Civil War.

Approaching census day in 1926 and to encourage participation over 100 years ago, organisations of employers and labour were contacted by government departments. As well as that clergymen, lawyers, doctors, peace commissioners, chairmen of county councils, public health boards and all institutions were contacted.

The Department of Education was particularly helpful. They sanctioned a series of lessons to be given in day schools for adults during the week leading up to the census on the filling of the census form A.

On 15 April 1926, the Minister for Industry and Commerce, Patrick McGilligan published a statement on the census calling it a “great opportunity as well as a national duty”. “The citizens of the Free State will compile a record about themselves which will be entirely for their own public benefit. It will be for the use of guidance of their own representatives, their own legislators, their own administrators.

“The totals and percentages derived from the facts to be compiled will be consulted for legislative and administrative purposes for many years to come, and must therefore have an important influence upon the management of national affairs.”

The Cork Examiner on 20 April 1926, the second day after the census, records that the collection of census forms was one of the most important duties of the Civic Guard all over the Free State. The Civic Guard were kept very busily engaged as enumerators calling at every house in their different districts. They received the filled in forms and checked the particulars entered upon them.

The newspaper details that it was found in numerous instances that the instructions printed upon the census form and upon the explanatory leaflet supplied with it had not been complied with. This was anticipated and the Civic Guard made every effort to assist householders, who were unable to fill in their forms, either in part or entirely. It was expected that the collection of the census form would take several days.

In previous censuses, all the afterwork was done by clerical labour. On the occasion of the 1926 census, machines were introduced. Such machines had been used both in England and Scotland in their 1911 and 1921 censuses, and had been used for many censuses in the United States. The aim was that by this machine process both time and money would be saved. In addition maths tables would be created, which were not possible under the old system.

The first step was to scrutinise and examine each form after return to the Census Office by enumerators. The next step was ‘coding’ the forms, ie, inserting code numbers instead of non-numerical answers. The punched cards were then put through the sorting and counting machines.

Each machine could classify the population and county at the rate of 16,000 cards per hour.

In August 1926, the Census of Population of Irish Free State Preliminary Report noted initial statistics for provincial towns and cities in the 26 counties.

The 26 counties had a population of 2,971,992, a decrease of 5.3% from the 1911 census. Cork city’s population in 1926 was 76,673 against 78,478 in 1926.

The drop in population was seen in county Cork towns. The preliminary report revealed some variations in the relative importance of county Cork towns during the period from 1911 and 1926. While nearly all of them had lost in population, the drop in some cases had been very sharp causing them to fall several places in comparison with others. Cobh, although it has lost 1,132 inhabitants in the previous fifteen years, was still an easy first amongst the county towns, with a total of 7,707. Fermoy, which was second on the list in 1911 with 6,863, was now only fourth with 4,510. The drop was due mainly to the departure of the British regiments formerly quartered in the town.

It was now surpassed by both Youghal (5,339, as against 5,648 in 1911) and Mallow (4,562 in 1926 as against 4,452 in 1911).

Mallow was one of the few towns in the county which showed an increase. Another was Passage West, which, with an increase from 2,815 to 3,019 was now fifth on the list instead of eleventh, as in 1911.

Despite a loss of 292 (2,830 as against 3,122), Bandon had advanced from eighth to sixth, in order of importance, being slightly in front of Clonakilty, whose comparatively small decrease, of 191 people, has enabled it to rise on the list from tenth place to seventh.

Kinsale, like Fermoy, had suffered heavily and largely from the same cause – its population of 4,920 in 1911 being now reduced to 2,747, with the result that it was now only the eighth town in the county, instead of fifth.

Similarly, Midleton, which was sixth in 1911 was now only ninth; Bantry, which was seventh, was now tenth. Skibbereen, which was ninth, was now eleventh, and Macroom, which was twelfth, was now thirteenth. Twelfth place was taken on the occasion Knockrea, a newcomer into the front ranked statistics, which really was not a town but a suburban townland of Cork city.

Buttevant fared the worst of all the county Cork towns in the decrease of population in the inter census period. From 1,754 in 1911 it had fallen to 834 – or less than half – in 1926, a drop due, of course, to the withdrawal of the British military forces from the town.

The 1926 Census of Ireland is now fully digitized and searchable online. Great credit is to the National Archives of Ireland for all their hard work.

May 2026 historical walking tours with Kieran: All tours free, 2 hours, no booking required.

Monday afternoon, 4 May: The Marina, meet at western end adjacent Shandon Boat Club, The Marina at 2pm.

Sunday afternoon, 10 May: Blackpool: Its History and Heritage; meet at the square on St Mary’s Road, opposite North Cathedral at 2pm.

Friday evening, 15 May: Cork Through the Ages, An Introduction to the Historical Development of Cork City; meet at the National Monument, Grand Parade at 6.30pm.

Sunday afternoon, 17 May: The South Bank – The South Parish and its Histories, meet at the Ronnie Herlihy Pocket Park, Langford Row, just opposite intersection of High Street, Summerhill South and Douglas Street at 2pm.

Sunday evening, 24 May: The Lough and its Curiosities; meet at green area at northern green of The Lough, entrance of Lough Road to The Lough, Lough Church end at 6.30pm.