Exploring Family History After the 1926 Census Release
Group photograph commissioned by Mrs. Becker, Ardagh, Lismore, 1926 (POOLEWP 3391)
The Census is freely available to search here at the National Archives of Ireland website.
How can I find out more information about a family I have found on the 1926 census?
Once you have found your family or a family of interest to you the National Library of Ireland is here to guide you in taking your genealogical research further.
The NLI has put together a guide on getting started with family history research.
If you are working from the 1926 census form we suggest downloading a copy and then following the next steps:
- Step One: Download a copy of the NLI Family Group sheet. You can complete this form digitally or print it and fill it in by hand.
- Step Two: Copy the names on the census over to the Group Sheet.
Step Three: Search for birth and marriage records.
How do I find birth and marriage records?
Civil Births are birth registrations made by the State and these are available from the year 1864 from the Government of Ireland’s Irish Genealogy website.
Church baptisms may be available for persons born before 1864, however they do not survive for all parishes. Some church denominations such as the Church of Ireland have limited records as the originals were lost in 1922.
Information about searching Civil and Church records is provided on the Further Research page. The 1926 census records the religious denomination of your ancestor.
What are civil registration districts?
Civil registration districts were used by administrators of births, deaths and marriages. The surviving records are grouped by poor law union, and a map of these is available to view here. If you are unsure, search by county of birth rather than by place name.
What records can I view online at the National Library of Ireland?
The NLI’s collections cover over 12 million items. These include published books, journal articles, pamphlets, maps, original manuscripts, photographs, newspapers and more.
You can search the NLI collections in the Library catalogue. We would advise you to search geographically, by place name or parish.
The largest collection available to view online are the copies of the Catholic parish registers. You can browse these by parish here.
How to search the National Library’s Digital Collections
In addition the NLI provides free onsite access to millions of digital records available through genealogical databases online. A full list of genealogical sources and digital newspapers is available here. Please note that while all these eResources are available to view for free onsite, subscriptions may apply for accessing some remotely, this is indicated on the list.
I have a question about family history research. Who can I contact?
The NLI offers free advice on how to find sources for family history research. We understand that it can be frustrating to find a family on the census and not know where to go next.
You can book a free in-person consultation with staff in the family history service by contacting familyhistoryappointments@nli.ie.
You can also send a query to genealogy@nli.ie. We ask that you focus on one family and think about what you want to discover.
Please note that Library staff do not undertake genealogical research. We provide the advice and tools to get you started.
Find out more about the Family History Service
Find out more about Family History Research at NLI
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