Architect Dermot Bannon, actress Eileen Walsh, and retired trade unionist Mick Lynch are among the faces taking a personal look at life 100 years ago in a new RTÉ documentary series baaed on the recently published 1926 Irish census.
RTÉ 1 broadcaster Louise Duffy, Raidió na Gaeltachta Gormfhlaith Ní Thuairisg and novelist Joseph O'Connor, also appear on Come to your Census, which begins this Sunday 3 May on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player at 6:30pm.
The National Archives of Ireland made the 1926 census, the first carried out by the country as a Free State, available online for free to the public last week.
With exclusive access to the census, the six participants were guided by archivists from the National Archives and historians as they uncovered stories about the people and communities that came before them.
In the first episode, Mick Lynch traces his father’s family back to the now derelict lanes of Cork city’s former slums, uncovering the story of his widowed grandmother who was raising a young family alone.
In Conamara, Gormfhlaith Ní Thuairisg explores the role the Irish language played in shaping her family’s identity and values, and in Waterford, Room to Improve’s Dermot Bannon reveals the stark reality for a small town living in the shadow of an Industrial school for children.
In the second episode, Joseph O’Connor traces his family’s roots in Dublin’s Liberties, uncovering a community that influenced several generations of his family. In Cork, Eileen Walsh, who has appeared in The Magdalene Sisters and Small Things Like These, sets out to discover the story of her grandfather, a young revolutionary.
In Mayo, Louise Duffy explores the roles played by women in the rural community where she grew up.
A podcast series also titled Come to your Census is hosted by historian Liz Gillis and she is joined by archivists and fellow historians - all of whom were granted early access to the records before they were issued to the public.
Listen here or wherever you get your podcasts.
