Exhibition on the 1926 Census coming to Donegal County Museum
The Story of Us - which will be held in Letterkenny - explores the 1926 census to present a picture of life in Ireland in 1926
As part of the release of the 1926 Census, the National Archives will bring a specially curated exhibition, The Story of Us, to Donegal County Museum.
The exhibition will take place in Letterkenny from Wednesday, November 25 until Sunday, December 20, 2026.
The Story of Us explores the 1926 census to present a picture of life in Ireland in 1926: from sport and entertainment to language, culture, religion, gender and the working lives of the inhabitants of the Irish Free State a century ago.
Ten local authorities will host the exhibition, which explores life in newly independent Ireland in 1926. Using contemporary documents and images, audio-visual displays and, above all, the census returns themselves.
“I am delighted that the National Archives will bring its exhibition, The Story of Us, to 10 local authority venues across the country,” Minister for Culture, Communications and Sport Patrick O’Donovan TD said. “The release of the Census 1926 has truly captured the public imagination and this exhibition allows people to better understand the Ireland of 1926.
“For people across Ireland, the 1926 Census has offered something deeply personal. It has allowed us all to step back in time and encounter our own families, neighbours and communities as they were almost a century ago. It brings history out of the abstract and into the everyday. This exhibition provides a further opportunity for people to explore Ireland and its people in 1926.”
Orlaith McBride, Director of the National Archives, said: “We are greatly looking forward to bringing The Story of Us on tour over the coming months in partnership with our local authority colleagues.
“The exhibition has already been presented in Dublin, London and Boston where thousands of people enjoyed discovering more about Ireland in 1926. Census 1926 is not simply a historical document. It is a living national resource. It belongs not only to academic historians or archivists, but to the wider public.
“In the weeks since the launch and hopefully in the months and years ahead, people will search the census to discover grandparents and great-grandparents, trace migration and family connections, understand changing patterns of work and language, and explore the everyday realities of life in Ireland in 1926. This exhibition offers a further insight into that Ireland.”
The National Archives released the Census 1926 on April 18 2026, making it freely available and fully searchable. The newly released records provide an unprecedented resource, allowing users to efficiently navigate detailed household returns from 1926 for the first time.
The preparation of the 1926 Census for public release has been a major project for the National Archives and the State, taking almost three years and involving the careful conservation, preservation, high-resolution digitisation, and transcription of over 750,000 individual household and enumerator returns.
Funded by the Local Democracy Reporting Scheme