Photo source: National ArchivesThe long-awaited records of the 1926 census are finally available to the public
Two major events are to take place for the country of Ireland.
On the 18 April 2026 the long-awaited records of the 1926 census have finally been made available to the public.
View the 1926 records for Barryroe
And on the 9 May 2027 the next census of population will take place.
What is a Census?
The first known census was undertaken by the Babylonians in 3800 BC, and many will be familiar with the story of Joseph and Mary travelling from Nazareth to Bethlehem to take part in a Roman census ahead of the birth of Jesus.
A census is a key national event as it attempts to count everyone in the country at a particular time
We've come a long way since then, and the modern Irish census is a major logistical operation carried out by the CSO. It still serves the same purpose of capturing a moment in time, recording the present in order to plan for the future.