The preparation of the 1926 Census of Ireland for public release has been a monumental undertaking by the National Archives. This initiative ensures that the first census taken after the establishment of the State will be accessible to genealogists, historians, and the public in Ireland and around the world.
Our work involves careful preservation, high-resolution scanning, and transcription of every sheet, creating a fully searchable online resource that offers an unprecedented view of Irish life in 1926.
Watch our video to get a look behind the scenes at the archives and see the work in progress.
Key facts & figures
- Total Household Returns: 562,633
- Household Returns completed in Irish: 5,793
Understanding the Census forms
The 1926 Census consists of two forms:
- Form A – Household Return: Lists all individuals present in a house or institution on 18 April 1926.
- Form B – Enumerator’s Abstract: Summarises information for each townland or street.
Cataloguing process
Before digitisation, we created a detailed catalogue of the physical census returns. This catalogue links data to specific locations and administrative units used in 1926:
- 2,496 volumes stored in 1,299 archival boxes
- Organised by District Electoral Division (DED) and townland/street
Cataloguing was the foundation for subsequent work in conservation, digitisation, and transcription.
Conservation
Every single form was assessed and treated to ensure stability for digitisation.
- Forms repaired: 70,708 (approx. 10%)
- Duration: 1,526 days (10,582 hours)
Conservation involved:
- Repairing torn and damaged paper
- Flattening creases with heated spatulas
- Removing rusted metal pins
- Cleaning with vulcanised rubber sponges and brushes
Digitisation
We used archival-grade scanners to capture high-quality images suitable for zooming and detailed viewing. Images were stored in multiple formats for long-term preservation and converted into PDFs for public access.
- Pages digitised: 734,462
- Resolution: 400 DPI, full colour
Digitised images also powered automated transcription, using advanced OCR technology.
Transcription
- Approx. 3 million rows of data
- OCR software extracted data from digitised forms
- Data converted into structured spreadsheets
- Manual verification ensured accuracy
To improve accuracy, the system was trained using patterns from the 1911 Census and refined with corrections during processing. For example, in Carlow in 1911, “Roman Catholic” appeared in 33 different spellings—all mapped for consistency.
How to access the records
The 1926 Census will go live on 18 April 2026. In the meantime, explore our overview pages and the publicly available 1901 and 1911 censuses (the only complete pre 1926 collections), which help you prepare searches for individuals and addresses.