Find Irish ancestors in this free 1901 and 1911 National Archives of Ireland census database.
The National Archives of Ireland has released the
1901 Irish census in a free online database. All 32 counties—encompassing both of what’s now the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland—are covered in this census.
You
can search by name, county, and other factors. You can use an asterisk
as a wildcard in a surname. The site automatically adds a range of plus
or minus five years to ages. (The site was slow when I tried it this
morning, so you might need to let the initial rush subside before
trying your search.)
The 1911 census also is searchable on the
site. The 1901 and 1911 censuses are the only surviving full Irish
censuses open to the public.
The Irish census is unique
because you can see the original household manuscript returns (the
forms filled out by the head of each household on census night), rather
than just transcribed enumerators’ books.
The basic topographical divisions for the census are county, district electoral division (or DED), and townland or street.
A
number of townlands/streets are missing from the database 1901 and
1911. According to the Irish national archives website, these forms
weren’t microfilmed or digitized. The material will be put online as
soon as possible.
More Irish genealogy resources from
Family Tree Magazine: