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Figure 2.1 compares the population usually resident in Ireland by place of birth in 1926 and 2022, highlighting the shift from an almost entirely Irish born population to a more internationally diverse one over the past century.
In 1926, 97% of the people in Ireland were born in Ireland, with less than 1% of the population born outside of Ireland, Northern Ireland and Great Britain, reflecting a period of low inward migration and high emigration.
In 2022, 80% of people living in Ireland were born in Ireland indicating that while the majority remain Irish born, the proportion has fallen as the population has grown and diversified.
Map 2.1 shows the usual residents by place of birth at county level in 1926.
The proportion of people born in Ireland was the highest (99%) in rural western counties such as Kerry, Clare and Galway, reflecting limited inward migration and a history of emigration after the great famine.
Border counties recorded the lowest Irish born proportions, notably Monaghan (91%) and Louth (92%), with a correspondingly high proportion of the population born in Northern Ireland (Monaghan 6%, Louth 5%).
Dublin’s Irish born share was relatively low (93%) for 1926, as the capital’s port, administrative functions and skilled employment resulted in a higher proportion of the population born in Britain and overseas than any other county.
Map 2.2 shows the usual residents by place of birth at county level in 2022.
Kilkenny recorded the highest proportion of the population born in Ireland (86%), followed by Offaly (86%) and Tipperary (85%).
Dublin had the lowest proportion of Irish born residents (75%), reflecting its role as the country’s primary destination for international labour and students.
Population born in Northern Ireland was most concentrated in Donegal (9%), Monaghan (8%) and Louth (6%), a pattern shaped by ongoing cross‑border commuting and shared services.
Population born in Great Britain was most prevalent in Mayo (9%), Leitrim (8%) and Roscommon (8%).
Proportion of people born elsewhere was the highest in Dublin (21%), Longford (15%) and in commuter counties such as Kildare (14%), Meath (14%) and Louth (13%).
Figure 2.2 compares the religious denominations in Ireland in 1926 and 2022.
In 1926, Roman Catholics made up 93% of the population, while by 2022 this had fallen to 69%, showing a much smaller majority.
In 1926, 6% of people identified with the Church of Ireland and other Protestant denominations, compared with 3% in 2022.
The 1926 census did not record a separate category for people with no religion, and those outside the main denominations were instead captured under ‘other' category. In 2022 15% of the population identified with no religion.
Those identifying with 'other' religions increased from less than 1% in 1926 to 7% in 2022.
In 1926, there was effectively no 'not stated' category recorded. In 2022, almost 7% of the population did not complete the religion question.
Map 2.3 provides a county‑level representation of religious composition in Ireland in 1926.
Wicklow had the highest Church of Ireland population at 15%, significantly above the national average of 6%.
Dublin was the most religiously diverse county, with the largest Jewish population and the highest Methodist share, alongside a lower Catholic proportion (86%) than most counties.
Cavan had a comparatively large Church of Ireland population at 12%, above most other counties.
Western counties including Clare, Galway, Mayo, Kerry, and Roscommon were predominantly Roman Catholic (over 98%).
Donegal showed a near‑equal split between Church of Ireland (9%) and Presbyterians (8%), giving it one of the strongest combined Protestant communities in the Free State.
Map 2.4 highlights the county‑level distribution of religious affiliation in Ireland in 2022, showing clear regional contrasts when compared with national patterns.
Dublin had a diverse religious profile, with the lowest share of Roman Catholics (57%) and the highest proportions of both ‘No religion’ (20%) and ‘Other stated religions’ (10%).
At close to 80%, Mayo, Tipperary, Offaly and Roscommon recorded the highest proportions of Roman Catholics, placing them more than ten percentage points above the national average of 69%.
Presbyterian affiliation concentrated heavily in the northern border counties with Monaghan and Donegal (both 3%) exceeding the national average of less than 1%, although both proportions were considerably lower than their 1926 levels.
Wicklow (6%) and Cavan (5%) recorded the largest Church of Ireland populations, both above the national average of 3%.
Similar to the shifts in population and language, Census 1926 reveals a significant change in the religious landscape of the Irish Free State. The category 'Other Religions' includes Protestant Episcopalians (Church of Ireland), Presbyterians, Methodists, and Other Denominations (including Jewish and Baptist communities).
By 1926, 93% (2,751,269 people) of the Free State was Roman Catholic. The remaining 7% (220,723) belonged to 'Other Religions' as seen in Table 1A.
Between 1911 and 1926, the population belonging to 'Other Religions' dropped by almost 33% (from 327,179 to 220,723) for the same 26 County area as seen in Table 8b.
Roman Catholics (2,751,269): As the predominant faith, Catholics made up more than 99% of the population in many rural districts. DEDs like Castleblakeney, Mount Bellew Rural District, Co Galway and Kinard DED, Dingle Rural District, Co Kerry were recorded as 100% Roman Catholic. In the cities, counts remained high, with the Arran Quay Ward in Dublin City housing more than 31,000 Catholic residents.
Protestant Episcopalians (164,215): The largest minority groups were anchored in Dublin and the bordering counties. The Rathmines and Rathgar area in Dublin was home to more than 9,367 Episcopalians, while Springfield DED, Cavan Rural District, Co Cavan saw a rare non-Catholic rural majority of 73%.
Presbyterians (32,429): Heavily concentrated in the North-West and Border, Rathmelton DED, Millford Rural District, Co Donegal, recorded 638 Presbyterians, making up the largest 'Other religion' group in that area.
Methodists (10,663): More than 1,000 lived in Rathmines and Rathgar. Smaller clusters existed elsewhere, such as 210 in Cork. No 3 Urban DED, Cork City and 132 in Dunkineely DED, Donegal Rural District, Co Donegal.
Other Denominations, which include Jewish and Baptist Communites (13,416): These groups were localised in Dublin City. Dublin’s Wood Quay Ward was a primary centre with 1,357 residents. Other notable groups appeared in Cork No. 5 Urban DED, Cork City (245) and Ballyglass DED, Meelick Rural District, Co Clare (148).
Check your own area: Use the digitised table HCA29 to explore the various religious communities of your local district in 1926.
The Irish‑language questions in 1926 and 2022 were framed very differently,therefore, the results are not directly comparable. In 1926 , the focus was on identifying native speakers, distinguishing between those who spoke only Irish, those who were native speakers who also spoke English, and those who could read Irish without speaking it. The collected results were later consolidated into three broad groups, Irish Only, Irish and English Speakers, and Non-Irish Speakers. In contrast, Census 2022 asked everyone aged three and over whether they could speak Irish and then explored how often they used it - daily within the education system, daily outside it, weekly, less often, or no use at all. It also asked respondents to rate how well they spoke Irish. This shift from identifying Irish speakers to measuring frequency and context of use means the two questions capture different aspects of Irish‑language ability. Please refer to the Background Notes to see the household return forms for Census 1926 and Census 2022.
In 1926, 18% of the population were recorded as Irish speakers, this figure includes both those who spoke Irish as their sole language and those who spoke both Irish and English, meaning the count reflected the number of individuals with the ability to speak Irish, rather than indicating proficiency or frequency of use.
In 2022, 40% of people reported being able to speak Irish, based on a question asked of everyone aged three and over that captured any level of spoken ability and distinguished between daily use inside or outside education, weekly use, less frequent use, or no use despite having the ability, producing a broader measure of engagement with the language.
(Note: The proportions include those who spoke Irish only, native speakers who also spoke English, non‑native speakers who could speak both, and those who could read but not speak Irish.)
Galway recorded the highest level of individuals recorded as having Irish at 47% (80,238 people), reflecting the strong level of Irish across all categories in this area.
Mayo (37%), Donegal (34%) and Kerry (33%) formed a strong western band, each with high proportions of individuals recorded as having Irish under the 1926 classifications.
Clare (30%) and Waterford (23%) also stood out, with levels of individuals recorded as having Irish well above the national average of 18%.
Dublin City and County recorded one of the lowest proportions at 8%, though it still contained 39,618 individuals recorded as having Irish due to its large population.
Counties in the east and midlands generally recorded the lowest levels, with Wexford (8%), Wicklow (9%) and Carlow (9%) all falling below 10%.
Cork had the second‑largest number of individuals recorded as having Irish (68,553), though its proportion (19%) closely matched the national average due to its larger population.
Smaller inland counties such as Longford, Offaly and Laois (10%) recorded modest levels, consistent with the broader pattern of lower Irish‑language retention outside the western seaboard.
Map 2.7 presents the proportion of individuals aged three and over who reported that they could speak Irish in the 2022 census.
(Note: The 2022 census asked respondents whether they could speak Irish, how often they used it i.e., daily inside education, daily outside education, weekly, less often, or not at all and how well they spoke it.)
Galway County had the highest share of people who reported they could speak Irish (50%), with Galway City also high at 45%.
Clare (47%), Cork City and County (45%), Mayo (44%) and Kerry (44%) all recorded proportions above the national average of 40%.
Dublin City recorded one of the lowest proportions at 33%, though it still had more than 162,000 people who said they could speak Irish.
Most eastern and midland counties reported proportions in the high 30% range, including Meath, Wicklow and Westmeath (all recording 39%).
Donegal (39%), Cavan (36%) and Louth (35%) recorded more moderate levels compared with many western and southern counties.
Census 1926 marked a historic milestone. For the first time in more than 70 years, the steady decline in Irish speakers was reversed. As the 1926 General Report noted:
“This is the first occasion on which an increase has been recorded since 1881, and probably since 1851…The proportions of Irish speakers in 1851, 1861 and 1871 were respectively 29.1%, 24.5% and 19.8%.”- 1926 General Report (Vol. X, Ch. IX)
The official 1926 figure recorded that 18% (543,511 people) of the population were 'Irish Speakers'.
In Leinster, some areas maintained a solid Irish speaking population: Lullymore DED, Edenderry No 2 Rural District, Co Kildare rose to 38%, and Killurin DED, Wexford Rural District, Co Wexford increased by 24%.
Proficiency remained strongest along the Atlantic coast, led by Galway (47%), Mayo (37%), and Donegal (34%). Specific areas remained almost completely Irish speaking, such as Owengowla DED, Clifden Rural District, Co Galway (98%) and Killannin DED, Galway Rural District, Co Galway (97%).
In traditional Irish speaking areas (the Gaeltacht), the number of speakers fell by 66,697 people (21%) between 1911 and 1926, while the rest of the country saw an increase of 56,491 in Irish speakers (24%).
While bilingualism (English and Irish speakers) was on the rise, 'Irish Only Speakers' dropped to 12,460. For comparison, there were 319,602 'Irish Only Speakers' recorded in Ireland in the 1851 Census.
Check your own area: Use our digitised table HCA32 to find out how many Irish speakers were in your area in 1926.
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