IRELAND CENSUSES
Only the 1901-1911 censuses survive in their entirety and are available at:
1. census.nationalarchives.ie
Census records from 1821-1851 were destroyed when the Public Record
Office was bombed in the 1922 Ireland Civil War. Census records from
1861-1891 were destroyed by an order of the Irish Government in WW1.
They were pulped for paper.
Content of Ireland Census Records:
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1821-1911: The names, relationship to head of household, sex, ages, and occupations of every
household member.
1841-1911: County of birth, marital status, number of years married (except 1901) for every
household member
1901-1911: Religion and literacy for every household member
Exceptions include: 1831- only names the head of household, records the number of children in
a household but no names are given, records the religions of each house; 1851- gives the names
and information of family members who were away when the census was taken, gives the
names and information of family members who had died after the previous census; 1911- for
married women gives the number of years in present marriage, the number of children born
alive to that marriage and the number of children still living.
IRELAND CENSUS FRAGMENTS
Some census records survive from 1821-1851 in either original format, like in County Meath, or in
extracted form. The extracts were made before the censuses were destroyed. Below is a sample of
counties with surviving census fragments:
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Antrim
Armagh
Carlow
Cavan
Cork
Dublin
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Fermanagh
Galway
Kildare
Kilkenny
Leix (Queens)
Londonderry
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Meath
Monaghan
Offaly (Kings)
Tipperary
Waterford
Wexford
To find lists of surviving census fragments (original and extracts) from 1821-1851 go to:
1. wiki.familysearch.org > type Ireland Census Fragments
2. www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse
3. www.nationalarchives.ie
Some extracts of surviving census records exist online from 1821-1851:
1. Use a search engine like Google or Yahoo: i.e. “County Cavan Census” or “County Meath Census”
2. www.ancestry.com (extracts of the 1841 and 1851 censuses)
Extracts & original surviving census records from 1821-1851 on microfilm:
1. wiki.familysearch.org > type “Ireland Census Fragments” - (On microfilm and can be ordered
online and sent to a FamilySearch Center near your home at films.familysearch.org .
2. www.nationalarchives.ie
IRELAND CENSUS SUBSTITUTES (Records that can be used to supplement the destroyed census
records). For an online list of Ireland census substitutes go to:
1. www.irishtimes.com/ancestor/browse
2. wiki.familysearch.org > type Ireland census Substitutes
Tithe Apploments:(1823-1837- a tax on anyone who owned or rented land that was subject to the tithe)
 www.ancestry.com (online index- gives name, townland , parish, and year)
 www.familysearch.org > Catalog > type Ireland > click Land and Property
o Tithe Applotments Books & Indexes, for Northern Ireland, 1822-1837
o Apploment books, abt. 1824-1840 (for the Republic of Ireland)
o On microfilm and can be ordered online and sent to a FamilySearch Center near your
home at films.familysearch.org.
Griffiths Primary Valuation: (1848-1864- a tax on anyone who owned or rented a house or land)
 www.askaboutireland.ie > Griffiths Valuation
 www.irishorigins.com $
 www.ancestry.com $
 www.failteromhat.com
Old-Age Pensions: (1908-1922- at age 70 one could apply for a pension. Info was gathered from the
1841 and 1851 censuses).
 www.ireland-genealogy.com for Northern Ireland
 www.familysearch.org > Catalog > Keyword search “Ireland census search forms” (all of Ireland)
o On microfilm and can be ordered online and sent to a FamilySearch Center near your
home at www.films.familysearch.org .
IRELAND REPOSITORIES
Contains original census records, and/or census substitutes/fragments
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National Archives of Ireland www.nationalarchives.ie
Public Record Office of Northern Ireland www.proni.gov.uk
Representative Church Body Library www.ireland-anglican.org
National Library of Ireland www.nli.ie
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