Census of Ireland, 1911

The Census of Ireland, 1911, was a census that covered Ireland, and was conducted on Sunday 2 April 1911 as part of a broader Census of the United Kingdom. A census of Ireland had taken place every ten years beginning in 1821 until 1911. The next census did not take place until 1926 due to the Irish War of Independence and subsequent Irish Civil War. The entire returns for all 32 counties are available online on the website of the National Archives of Ireland.

Census of Ireland, 1911
General information
CountryUnited Kingdom
(Ireland)
Results
Total population4,390,219

Information collected

The census information was recorded on the following forms:

  • Form A, which was completed by the head of the family
  • Forms B1, B2, and N, which were completed by the census enumerator

Head of the family

Form A, which was completed by the head of the family, contained the following information for each person in the home on the night of 2 April:

Census of Ireland, 1911: Form A
  • Name and Surname
  • Relation to Head of Family
  • Religious Profession (Protestants were requested to indicate denomination)
  • Education (whether able to read and write)
  • Age (last birthday) and Sex
  • Rank, Profession, or Occupation
  • Particulars as to Marriage (marital status, length of marriage, number of children born alive, number of children still living)
  • Where Born
  • Irish Language (whether able to speak Irish)
  • Disability: if persons were:

The form was signed by both the census enumerator and the head of the family.

Census enumerator

Form B1, which was known as the House and Building Return, was completed by the enumerator and summarised the following administrative information for the street or townland, or part thereof:

It then summarised the following information pertaining to the houses and families of the street or townland. The information about houses included:

  • Number of House or Building
  • Whether Built or Building
  • Whether Private Dwelling, Public Building, School, Manufactory, Hotel, Public-house, Lodging-house, Shop, etc.
  • Number of Out-Offices and Farm-steadings as returned on Form B2
  • Whether House Inhabited
  • Walls (whether made of permanent or perishable material)
  • Roof (whether made of permanent or perishable material)
  • Rooms (number, whether 1, 2–4, 5–6, 7–9, 10–12, 13+)
  • Windows in Front (exact number)
  • Class of House (1st, 2nd, 3rd, or 4th, based on information supplied above)

The information about families included:

  • Number of distinct Families in each House
  • Name of the Head of each Family residing in the House
  • Number of Rooms occupied by each Family
  • Total Number of Persons in each Family
  • Date on which Form A was collected
  • Number of Persons in each Family who were sick on 2 April 1911
  • Name of the Landholder (if any) on whose Holding the House is situated
  • Number on Form M1 if House is on the Holding of a Landholder

Form B2, the Return of Outhouses and Farm-Steadings, gave more detailed information on secondary buildings attached to a property, such as outhouses, workshops, and various kinds of farm buildings.

Form N, the Enumerator's Abstract for a Townland or Street, recorded the enumerator's name, the same administrative information as listed for Form B1, the properties and which were inhabited, and the numbers of families, males, and females, and persons of each religious denomination.

Population

Total

The total population of Ireland according to the 1911 census was 4,390,219 of whom 2,192,048 were male and 2,198,171 were female.

By province

Province Population
Leinster 1,162,044
Munster 1,035,495
Connaught 610,984
Ulster 1,581,696

By county

Province County Population
Leinster Carlow 36,252
Dublin 477,196
Kildare 66,627
Kilkenny 74,962
Queen's Co. (now Laois) 54,629
Longford 43,820
Louth 63,665
Meath 65,091
King's Co. (now Offaly) 56,832
Westmeath 59,986
Wexford 102,273
Wicklow 60,711
Munster Clare 104,232
Cork 392,104
Kerry 159,691
Limerick 143,069
Tipperary 152,433
Waterford 83,966
Connaught Galway 182,224
Leitrim 63,582
Mayo 192,177
Roscommon 93,956
Sligo 79,045
Ulster
Cavan 91,173
Donegal 168,537
Monaghan 71,455
Antrim (incl. Belfast) 580,811
Armagh 120,291
Down 204,303
Fermanagh 61,836
Londonderry 140,625
Tyrone 142,665

Cities

City Population
Belfast 386,947
Dublin 304,802
Cork 76,673
Derry 40,780
Limerick 38,518
Waterford 27,464
Galway 13,255

Religion

According to the 1911 census, religious profession broke down as follows:

Religious profession Number Percentage
Roman Catholic 3,238,656 73.8%
Church of Ireland 575,489 13.1%
Presbyterian 439,876 10.0%
Methodist 61,806 1.4%
Other Christian denominations 57,718 1.3%
Jewish 5,101 0.1%

Viewing the returns

The census returns of 1911 for all 32 counties are available online. The website is freely accessible, with no charge for viewing any of the material.

The original manuscripts of the Census of Ireland are all housed in the National Archives of Ireland. The returns are arranged by townland for rural areas and by street in cities, and it is necessary to know the townland or street where a person lived and its corresponding District Electoral Division to find the record of a particular person of interest.

The Family History Library also holds microfilm copies of the original 1911 census returns and these can be viewed at the Library in Salt Lake City, Utah. A list of Royal Irish Constabulary police barracks, for which the Form H Barrack Returns can be identified, is available at the free to use Royal Irish Constabulary Research Forum.

See also

References

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