The 1926 Census of Ireland

It's getting very close now - less than a month to go until the full 1926 census returns go online for all the public to see. And when they become available, they’ll offer an extraordinary snapshot of Irish society a century ago. Tonight, we’ll explore what historians expect to find in the census, and what it can tell us about life here - in the aftermath of the revolutionary period.

For all the details about the upcoming census release and the various events surrounding it, go to the National Archives website.

To begin, we hear a report from the National Archives about the historical importance of the census and the process of bringing it online. Our producer Lorcan Clancy talks to Zoe Reid, Keeper of Manuscripts at the National Archives of Ireland, and historian John Gibney, Assistant Editor with the Royal Irish Academy's Documents on Irish Foreign Policy Programme.

We hear from Patrick O’Donovan, Minister for Arts, Culture, Communications, Media and Sport, who talks about the significance of the census release; government funding; and learning about his own family history.

Then, to talk more about the upcoming census release, and what we can expect to find in it, Myles is joined in studio by three guests.

Orlaith McBride is the Director of the National Archives of Ireland.

Ida Milne is a lecturer at Carlow College and Visiting Research Fellow at Trinity College Dublin.

Gregory Walls is an historian and PHD Researcher at Trinity, who has been working on the 1926 Census Exhibition