The 1901 census return for the Joyce family, living at 8 Royal Terrace in Fairview, lists all family members, including the then 19-year-old James Joyce.
The Joyce family census return
The return for the Joyce family was filled out on the night of 31 March 1901. The family lived at 8 Royal Terrace in Fairview. The return lists every household member, from the head of the household, John Joyce, aged 51, and his wife Mary (May), aged 39 (who died two years later) to the youngest member of the household, their daughter Mabel, aged 8.
James Augustine Joyce
The eldest child of the family was James Augustine Joyce. His occupation was listed as “student.” We know that he attended University College Dublin where he studied English, Italian and French. He is listed as having been born in Dublin and could speak both Irish and English.
All members of the family are listed as Roman Catholic. John Joyce’s occupation was listed as “Government Pensioner” reflecting his previous employment as a rate collector, from which he retired in 1892.
May Joyce
One of the most striking things about the return is the list of the Joyce children’s ages: 19, 17, 16, 14, 13, 12, 11, 10, 9 and 8. When you factor in the early death of her first child and two miscarriages, this means that May Joyce was pregnant almost continuously between the years of 1881 and 1893.
Ref: 1901 Census / Dublin / DED 28 (Clontarf West) / 8 Royal Terrace
