What was Ireland like in 1926?

A new exhibition that focuses on different facets of life in Ireland in 1926 has opened on Leeside.

Cork City and County Archives Service in partnership with the National Archives of Ireland have The Story of Us: Independent Ireland and the 1926 Census exhibition at St Peter’s, North Main Street, Cork which will run until 25 July.

Through a range of thematic lens, including patterns of employment, education and language, dwellings and domestic life, the exhibition will draw upon the census data, statistical reports and news of the day to create a vivid portrait of Ireland in 1926 as both an ancient nation and fledgling state.

The exhibition will include material from the 1926 Census relating specifically to Cork.

The Lord Mayor of Cork Cllr Damian Boylan and Cllr Pat Hayes, deputising on behalf of the Mayor of the County Cork launched the exhibition.

The launch event also included fascinating talks by Cónal Creedon, novelist, playwright and documentary filmmaker; Orlaith McBride, Director of the National Archives of Ireland; and Prof. Ciara Breathnach, Professor of Irish Gender History at University College Cork.

The launch event was made more special by the attendance of three Centenarian Ambassadors. Those are people who were recorded in the 1926 census like Mary Hosford, Noelle Newenham, and Joseph (Joe) Patrick Davis.

A spokesperson for the exhibition said: “These ambassadors help us connect the historical record with living memory, offering personal reflections on a century of change. Their voices have been central to the 1926 Census commemorations, reminding us that history is not just something we read, it’s something we live.

“The Story of Us is a landmark exhibition marking this historic release of census records. It explores the world reflected in the census and reveals what life was like in 1926: in towns and cities, across rural communities and islands, from crowded urban tenements to the mansions of the aristocracy.”

Using contemporary documents and photographs, audio‑visual displays, and the census returns themselves, the exhibition presents a vivid portrait of Ireland a century ago.

Visitors will encounter stories of work and daily life, language and culture, sport and entertainment, religion, gender, and the social realities of a newly independent state.

The exhibition forms part of a major public programme presented by the National Archives of Ireland, with events in Ireland, the UK and the United States.