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civic · Thursday 20 August 2026 · 2:00pm 
Introduction to the 1926 Census Talk
At Mountmellick Library · O'Moore Street, Mountmellick, Co. Laois
At Mountmellick Library · O'Moore Street, Mountmellick, Co. Laois
Laois Local Studies librarian Sinead Holland gives a talk on the 1926 Census of Ireland at Mountmellick Library on Thursday, 20 August 2026, as part of National Heritage Week. The 1926 Census was the first taken by the independent Irish state, and Holland looks at the new categories of information it captured and what the returns show about Laois life a century on from the War of Independence, the Civil War and the early years of the Free State.
An hour-long talk aimed at anyone with an interest in family or local history, run in plain, accessible language rather than as an academic lecture. Holland covers what makes the 1926 return different from the earlier 1901 and 1911 censuses that most family historians already know, including questions on housing conditions, occupation and emigration that reflect a country recovering from a decade of upheaval. Expect discussion of how the 1926 records can be accessed as they are digitised, and how they slot into a wider family history search alongside parish registers, gravestone inscriptions and the earlier census returns already available online. The talk runs as part of National Heritage Week, Laois Libraries’ contribution to the countrywide programme of free heritage events held every August.
Mountmellick Library is on O’Moore Street in Mountmellick town centre. The talk is fully wheelchair accessible, and on-street parking is available nearby.
Combine the talk with a look around Mountmellick, known for its distinctive whitework embroidery tradition, or explore further afield across Co. Laois.
Heading to Mountmellick Library in Mountmellick? Laois has plenty more to see. Read the Mountmellick area guide, find what else is on, and explore the towns and villages nearby.