National Archives Announces Major Public Programme Ahead of Census 1926 Release
- Published on: 22 October 2025
- Last updated on: 22 October 2025
First Census of the Irish Free State to be published online on 18 April 2026
The National Archives is seeking ‘Centenarian Ambassadors’ who were alive at the time of the census in 1926
The Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD has officially announced a comprehensive public programme to celebrate the upcoming centenary release of the 1926 Census of Population records by the National Archives.
The National Archives will make the entire census, comprising over 700,000 individual household returns, freely available and fully searchable online on 18 April 2026, marking a key moment in Irish history.
The accompanying public programme was unveiled today (22 October) by the Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport, Patrick O’Donovan TD, and National Archives Director Orlaith McBride. The programme will include a landmark RTÉ documentary, a theatrical production with world-renowned ANU Productions, major exhibitions in Dublin, London, Boston and across Ireland, and the search for official ‘Centenarian Ambassadors’.
Minister Patrick O’Donovan said:
The release of the 1926 Census records is a historic moment, offering an invaluable account of life as the Irish Free State took its first steps as an independent nation. It’s a fascinating snapshot of the foundation of our state, and, more powerfully, a story of families and communities.
The Census 1926 Digitisation Project
The preparation of the 1926 Census for public release has been a monumental project for the National Archives. This initiative involves the careful preservation, high-resolution scanning, and transcription of every sheet, making the first census taken after the establishment of the State accessible to genealogists, historians, and members of the public, both in Ireland and around the world.
The online platform will provide an unprecedented resource, allowing users to efficiently navigate detailed household returns and offering a unique snapshot of life one hundred years ago.
National Archives Director, Orlaith McBride, said:
The team at the National Archives has completed unbelievable work in preserving, cataloguing, and digitising these priceless documents in-house, using world-class machine-learning technology. The records will provide a comprehensive and publicly accessible dataset of life in Ireland following the establishment of the State.
Centenarian Ambassadors Programme
The National Archives is also launching a search for Centenarian Ambassadors who are people who were born before 18 April 1926 and are still alive today.
It is estimated that there are over 1,000 people still alive who were recorded in the census, and these individuals offer a unique, living perspective on the past century of Irish life. The Ambassador programme aims to capture the first-hand personal testimony of those who will see their own original family records made public next April.
Minister Patrick O’Donovan said:
It’s particularly moving that we can honour the individuals who were recorded in the census, and who are still with us today, through our Centenarian Ambassadors programme. This extensive public programme will ensure the stories, the information, and human connections revealed by the census reach every community in Ireland and our diaspora worldwide.
National Archives Director Orlaith McBride added:
The census isn’t about lists and numbers; it’s about the people living in Ireland in 1926 and all of their descendants today. It’s the story of us, and we want to hear from as many people as possible who are in the unique position of having been recorded in this historic document.
Anyone—or their families—interested in becoming a Centenarian Ambassador should contact the National Archives at: census1926@nationalarchives.ie
Programme Highlights
The comprehensive public programme is designed to bring the historical insights from the 1926 Census to the broadest possible audience, in partnership with various national and international organisations.
Full details of the individual elements of the programme, including dates and booking information, will be revealed over the coming months.
Key elements include:
· Exhibitions: Major exhibitions will be held in Dublin (Dublin Castle), London (British Academy), and Boston (Boston College) in April and May 2026, acknowledging the census's significance to the Irish diaspora. A touring exhibition will also visit locations in every corner of Ireland.
· Theatre Production: A site-specific theatrical production co-produced with renowned Irish company ANU Productions will take place at the National Archives in May 2026.
· TV Documentary: A landmark RTÉ television documentary to air in April 2026, which will offer diverse interpretations of the census's findings.
· Book: The publication of a book, The Story of Us, Independent Ireland and the 1926 Census, featuring 18 essays from leading historians.
· Education & Research: A new learning resource and teachers' pack for schools, plus a series of talks, workshops, and presentations for family and local history enthusiasts, culminating in a major conference in Dublin in June 2026.
Whether you’re interested in history, genealogy, or theatre, our full programme has something for everybody, in Ireland and around the world,
Said National Archives Director Orlaith McBride.
ENDS
For media queries, please contact: press.office@ccs.gov.ie
Note for editors
About the National Archives of Ireland
The National Archives preserves the memory of the State in the form of its written records. It acquires and protects Ireland’s public records, thereby ensuring their availability as a resource for all. These records relate to the social, cultural, economic and political history of the island of Ireland from the Middle Ages through to the establishment of the Irish Free State in 1922 and into the modern era.