Census records from 1901 go online
A window has been opened into life in 1901 with census records going live online, including family detail of some of the greatest Irishmen and women.
The National Archives have put 4.5 million individual returns, from 850,000 households across the 32 counties on the night of Sunday March 31 1901, free on the internet.
It is the earliest surviving complete population record creating an invaluable tool rivalling demand for the 1911 census among the 70 million strong curious diaspora.
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The earliest surviving complete census of Ireland is now available freely online. It may be viewed through the website of the .

Within the census are more than 4.5 million records from 850,000 households across the 32 counties; the information covers the night of Sunday March 31, 1901.  records were made available online in 2009, subsequently attracting more than 260 million hits.

The 1901 census lists a number of now-famous Irish people;  as a 19-year-old student living with his family in Fairview, . Author , under her married name of Margaret Guiheen, on . A 22-year-old , one of the leaders of the  and , a significant leader of Ireland's struggle for independence, at the time an 18-year-old boarder in , are also included.

The majority of 19th century Irish census records are now lost for a variety of reasons, including a fire at the Public Records Office during the 1922 .

Digitisation of the records cost almost €4 million; the work was carried out by the  in partnership with .