The goals of the lessons are to help our students understand what the census is about, to learn how and why a census takes place and the value of census information to society, our communities and our daily lives. The lessons below were designed with Census 2016 in mind but can be used as a learning tool to inform on censuses in Ireland in general too. An added bonus is that the results from Census 2016 are now available to explore on the cso website.
This series of topic-based lessons was designed by primary teachers for first to sixth classes to help children understand what the census is about and to learn how and why a census is conducted.
Each lesson has been developed specifically to incorporate the principles of the Primary School Curriculum.
The lessons resources were designed by practicing teachers and those involved in curriculum development and have been piloted in classroom situations. The Central Statistics Office wish to extend particular thanks to Carmel Burns for developing and producing this resource.
Comprehensive teacher notes and lesson plans
Census information
Census flashcards/fact cards
Sample Census forms
Integration ideas
Assessment tasks
Home/school links
Extension activities
Resources have been developed for use in the following 2nd level subject areas:
This history resource for secondary schools is aimed at both teachers and students of senior history. It addresses the use of old census records and the information these contain. The resources have been designed to be used by students at the following levels:
Junior cycle students can benefit in two areas from the use of census materials. In first year, the work of the historian is introduced, and students should find that the 1901 and 1911 census material is easy to engage with. In third year, the census material can be used to illustrate changing life-styles in Ireland from 1900. The unit on the Brogan family in 1911 or the unit on Grace Gifford using the material from the 1911 census material are recommended for use in first or third year.
Transition Year students can undertake a more detailed examination of census materials, prior to undertaking a personal project based in part or in whole on the 1901 and 1911 census. The full section on Evidence and Enquiry: Using the 1901 and 1911 census in the History classroom, incorporating material from John O’Connell’s family in 1901 and 1911, the four other individuals from 1911, as well as the unit on the Brogan family are suitable for use in whole or in part in the transition year classroom.
Leaving Certificate students have the opportunity to use the 1901 and 1911 census materials for the research study report. Students can base their study on the 1901 and 1911 materials
History 1901 census Bailey Gifford Hackett McAllister
This module has been written to enable students and teachers of Civic, Social and Political Education (CSPE) to explore the use of census data and raise awareness of the census in schools. It focuses on the concept of development and how census information enables local authorities and central government to plan future developments. It also includes an Action Project – students can carry out their very own Class/Year Group Census and present the results.
The resource aims to:
Enable students to understand a census.
Show students how census information is used.
Take part in a Census action Project
Duration 6-10 classes.
This material has been developed to enable Geography students and teachers to explore the use of the Census in the context of the geography curriculum. The lessons are broken up by year – first, second, transition and sixth year. The first year material introduces the CSO and Census to the classroom and assigns a county based geography project to students, providing two sample projects for counties Meath and Donegal. The second year course guides students through the use of the SAPMAP mapping tool, which is available on the Census Publications page of the CSO website, to find census data geographically. This data can then be used to analyse, compare and contrast data and report on selected population attributes. The transition year course further develops the skills involved in using SAPMAP to extract localised census data for students in their own geographical areas. The final course sets a project for students to examine population trends in a particular area and to use this information to make predictions and plan for the future.
1st Year
Transition Year
6th Year
Census 2016 Bringing the Census to Schools 6th Year Geographical Investigation.
Now that Census 2016 has taken place, a wealth of resources and data are available, along with data from previous censuses also.
The census provides a range of recent and in-depth data about the people of Ireland, their characteristics and their circumstances. This data has been published in a variety of formats including:
These include:
2 summary reports giving highlights on a variety of topics
11 profile reports each addressing a census topic in greater depth.
The reports are made up of;
Easy to read commentary, interpretation and analysis of the data along with graphs, thematic maps and infographics
Statistical tables
Appendices which include explanatory information relevant to the report e. g. the 2016 Census form, notes on how the census was conducted, changes to census questions, definitions of terms and methodologies, listings of classifications and coding used.
In addition, the reports are accompanied by a range of interactive web tables, allowing users to build their own tables by selecting the data they are interested in and downloading it in an easy to use format for their own analysis.
The Small Area Population Statistics (SAPS) are available for 14 different types of geographical area, including Small Areas comprising 80 – 100 households approximately. These are available online and can be searched and downloaded using an interactive mapping tool (SAPMAP). The complete set of results for a range of geographic areas – from the State right down to province, county, town, electoral division and small local areas – can be accessed free online through an easy to use interactive mapping application on the CSO web site.
Data Visualisation (in association with AIRO)
Finally, in co-operation with the All Ireland Research Observatory (AIRO) summary census data is also available in thematic maps for Electoral Districts and all Small Areas.
Other Census School Resources.
There are other schools resources available on the CSO website. To view, click here.