What the 1926 Irish Census reveals about my grandparents

19 April 2026 | Luke Theobald

ABOVE: My grandparents Mary Delia McDonagh (formerly Kirrane) and Luke McDonagh, photographed in the 1970s.1

On Sunday, 18 April 1926, the first census of the Irish Free State was conducted. When I first began my genealogical journey in the early 2000s, the release of this census seemed so very far away. But at the stroke of midnight on 18 April 2026, exactly 100 years later, the National Archives of Ireland seamlessly delivered over 700,000 census entries via their website – in free and fully searchable form.2

My maternal grandparents Luke McDonagh and Mary Delia Kirrane were both recorded on the 1926 Census. Born just a stone’s throw away from each other – in nearby townlands on the border between Co. Mayo and Co. Roscommon – Luke and Mary’s paths did not cross until after they had both migrated to England in the 1930s.

The 1926 Census is therefore a curious artifact in time which preserves both of their family units just before they were scattered to the four winds: across Ireland, the UK, America, and into the ground. And as with many censuses, it is the small details and crossed-out errors that provide tantalising information – confirming suspicions, settling old questions and, maddeningly, posing new ones…

My grandmother

This is the first census on which my grandmother appears. Aged just 5 years and 4 months in April 1926, Mary Delia Kirrane (recorded on the census as “Mary Dellia Kerrane”) is living exactly where I expected her to be living: in the family cottage in the small stony townland of Upper Clogher in Co. Roscommon.3 Just over a year earlier, my grandmother was photographed outside this very cottage with her mother Ellen Kirrane (formerly Fahy) and younger sister Kate Kirrane.4

ABOVE: My grandmother Mary Delia Kirrane (left) with her mother Ellen Kirrane and sister Kate Kirrane in Clogher, Co. Roscommon, in about 1924.5

The 1926 Census confirms all of the key facts previously known and corroborated by civil records: that my grandmother Mary was born in January 1921 in Clogher,6 that her parents were Michael and Ellen Kirrane,7 that her father was a farmer at Clogher, and that she had younger siblings named Kate8 and John.9

However, the census also offers up some additional information: that Mary’s father Michael was a farmer in possession of 14 st [statute] acres in April 1926, that his parents Patrick and Mary Kirrane were also living in the same cottage at Clogher, that only these two spoke both Irish and English, and that they were both actively contributing to the running of the farm and house respectively.10

Although such a cross-generational family dynamic can generally be assumed, it is always rewarding to see it recorded in plain ink. Just a few doors down, for instance, Mary’s maternal grandparents James and Maria Fahy were living in the cottage of their son (and Mary’s uncle) Denis Fahy, colloquially described (but definitely not on the census) as the ‘wild man of Clogher’.11

One unofficial takeaway may be that Mary’s father was perhaps not the most diligent completer of forms. Although censuses are generally riddled with spelling variations and corrections, this particular entry is full of amendments. On several occasions Michael either offers up too much information or too little, leading to the enumerator’s correctional input. The form also offers an entirely new spelling of the family name, one which already has a huge number of variations; “Kerrane” now joins the ranks of Kirraun, Kirran and Carr.12

The 1926 census return at Upper Clogher is a happy snapshot of a family which would soon after be plunged into sadness. In just a few short years, Mary’s grandparents passed away (in 192913 and 193114 respectively) while her mother Ellen Kirrane – who was still in her twenties – died from puerperal sepsis and exhaustion in July 1929,15 following the birth of her youngest child Anne.16 All three were buried in the same plot at Granlahan.17

On this note, the 1926 Census serves an additional purpose. Due to a discrepancy between Ellen’s birth and death certificates, Ellen’s exact age has always been slightly unclear. Ellen’s specific age on this census (22 years, 4 months) matches the details on her birth certificate, and we can now be confident that Ellen was 25 years old, as opposed to 28, at the time of her death.

ABOVE: My grandmother Mary Delia Kirrane (bottom, right) with her father Michael Kirrane (top, right), uncle Roddy (top, left), aunt Nell (centre) and sisters Kate (second from left) and Anne (centre, bottom), photographed in Leicester in the 1930s.18

The Kirrane family was thereafter separated by the Irish Sea. Mary and two of her sisters were sent to Leicester to live in the boarding house of Michael’s elder brother Roddy and his wife Nell. Michael later joined them in Leicester but two of his other children remained in Clogher until adulthood, living in the interim with their uncle Denis Fahy and maternal grandparents.

Meanwhile, the abandoned Kirrane home fell into rack and ruin. In the last decade of her life, my grandmother made an emotional return to Clogher where she was photographed observing the stone ruins of the very same childhood cottage recorded on the 1926 Census.19

ABOVE: My grandmother Mary with her son John in the ruins of her childhood cottage in Clogher in the 1960s.20

My grandfather

My grandfather Luke McDonagh previously appeared as a child on the 1911 Irish Census.21 And like my grandmother, I knew exactly where the 16-year-old Luke would be living in April 1926: Lavallyroe in Co. Mayo. Birthplace to priests and missionaries aplenty, Lavallyroe also served as the homestead of this branch of the McDonagh family for generations beforehand.

In this regard, the 1926 Census22 broadly confirms what was already known from alternative genealogical resources and family lore: that Luke was the son of farmer John McDonagh and Ellen McDonagh (formerly Rogers),23 that he was assisting his father with the running of the farm at Lavallyroe, and that he had siblings named John,24 Mary Ellen,25 Michael26 and Maggie McDonagh27 who were all living at the farm. Pleasingly, the inclusion of a precise birth location for Luke’s mother (Lisnagroobe, Co. Roscommon) confirms I had, however many years ago, selected the correct birth entry from the scores of potential individuals named Ellen Rogers.28

ABOVE: My grandfather Luke McDonagh, likely photographed in the late 1920s/early 1930s.29

ABOVE: Members of the McDonagh family at Lavallyroe in Co. Mayo in about 1934.30

That being said, the census is more revealing in other respects, confirming that in April 1926, Luke’s father John McDonagh (who was fast approaching his seventieth birthday) presided over 14 st [statute] acres of land, the same amount of land held by Mary Kirrane’s father across the county border. Two of Luke’s siblings, Patrick and James McDonagh, are missing from the return, seemingly confirming the family story that they had departed for England and America respectively (though both would later return to Co. Mayo).31

My grandfather’s date of birth has always been a matter of dispute. Whether Luke himself knew when he was born is, at this point, an open question. While Luke celebrated one date in September 1909, two different September dates were recorded on both the 1939 register32 and his death certificate.33 Furthermore, his actual birth certificate stated that he was born in January 1910.34 While the 1926 census points to late 1909 (although seemingly October), the exact date of birth is, very much, anybody’s guess. At least until a baptism record materialises.

Perhaps the most intriguing detail on the census concerns the multiple entries in the ‘Irish language’ column as all inhabitants of the farm including Luke were marked as speaking both English and Irish. This is the first my mother has heard of it, and whether the entry was erroneous, optimistic or entirely accurate, it raises the possibility that my grandfather and his siblings spoke Irish to some degree when they were young.35

In the 1930s, Luke migrated to England and two of his siblings (Michael and Maggie) followed their beloved brother.36 Meanwhile, two other siblings (John and Mary Ellen) settled in America. Therefore, in just the course of a decade, many of the McDonaghs recorded in the 1926 Census disappeared from Ireland while Luke’s parents remained at the farm, passing away in 193437 and 1941 respectively.38 Luke’s elder brother Pat inherited the farm after the death of his father.

On the subject of my grandfather’s siblings, Luke’s youngest sister Maggie – who in later life was only ever known as Peggy – is the only individual recorded on the 1926 Census who I met in person. She was 9 years old and attending school at the time of the census, but an old lady when I knew her. She passed away when I was six years old,39 but she is nevertheless a vivid character who is entrenched in my memory. I am told she was prone to proclaim, ‘Well, if it isn’t His Nibs!’ in my company.

Fortunately I inherited a great deal of Peggy’s photos – and there were many, despite the fact she never owned a camera. In one of those photos – and perhaps my favourite – Aunty Peggy is extremely pleased to be in a photograph with the Bishop.

ABOVE: My great aunt Peggy (Maggie McDonagh, later Oulsnam), c. late 1980s-early 1990s.40

References

  1. Images: Photograph. 1970s. Mary Delia McDonagh & Luke McDonagh. Unknown photographer. Private collection of Luke Theobald. ↩︎
  2. National Archives of Ireland. ‘Search the Census 1926’. Available at: https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-1926-census/ (Accessed: 18 April 2026). ↩︎
  3. Census. Ireland. Clogher Upper, Co. Roscommon. 18 April 1926. Household of Micheal KERRANE [Michael KIRRANE]. DED: Kiltullagh. Available at: https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-1926-census/census-record/#surname__icontains=kerrane&limit=30&county=Roscommon&a_id=1830090 (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  4. Images: Photograph. c. 1924. Mary Delia Kirrane, Ellen Kirrane and Kate Kirrane. Unknown photographer. Private collection of Luke Theobald. ↩︎
  5. Ibid. ↩︎
  6. Births (CR) Ireland. Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. 02 January 1921. Mary Delia KIRRANE. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  7. Marriages (CR) Ireland. Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. 30 October 1920. Michael KIRRANE & Ellen FAHEY. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  8. Births (CR) Ireland. Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. 02 September 1923. Kate KIRRANE. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  9. Births (CR) Ireland. Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. 14 February 1925. John Patrick KIRRANE. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  10. Census. Ireland. Clogher Upper, Co. Roscommon. 18 April 1926. Household of Micheal KERRANE [Michael KIRRANE]. DED: Kiltullagh. Available at: https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-1926-census/census-record/#surname__icontains=kerrane&limit=30&county=Roscommon&a_id=1830090 (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  11. Census. Ireland. Clogher Upper, Co. Roscommon. 18 April 1926. Household of Denis FAHY. DED: Kiltullagh. Available at: https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-1926-census/census-record/#surname__icontains=FAHY&first_name__icontains=DENIS&limit=30&a_id=1830128 (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  12. Census. Ireland. Clogher Upper, Co. Roscommon. 18 April 1926. Household of Micheal KERRANE [Michael KIRRANE]. DED: Kiltullagh. Available at: https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-1926-census/census-record/#surname__icontains=kerrane&limit=30&county=Roscommon&a_id=1830090 (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  13. Deaths (CR) Ireland. Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. 31 May 1929. Patrick KIRRANE. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  14. Deaths (CR) Ireland. Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. 14 March 1931. Mary KIRRANE. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  15. Births (CR) Ireland. Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. 07 July 1929. Annie Teresa KIRRANE. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  16. Deaths (CR) Ireland. Castlerea, Co. Roscommon. 14 July 1929. Ellen KIRRANE. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  17. Burials. Ireland. Granlahan, Clogher Upper, Co. Roscommon. May 1929-July 1929. Patrick KIRRANE, Maria KIRRANE & Ellen KIRRANE. Collection: Ireland Roscommon Kiltullagh Cemeteries. Martin Meehan. Available at: https://www.findmypast.co.uk (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  18. Images: Photograph. 1930s. Kirrane family portrait, Leicester. Unknown photographer. Copy in private collection of Luke Theobald. ↩︎
  19. Images: Photograph. 1960s. Mary Delia McDonagh & son John McDonagh. Unknown photographer. Private collection of Luke Theobald. ↩︎
  20. Ibid. ↩︎
  21. Census. Ireland. Lavallyroe, Co. Mayo. 02 April 1911. Household of John McDONAGH. DED: Course. Collection: Ireland Census 1911. National Archives of Ireland. Available at: www.findmypast.co.uk (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  22. Census. Ireland. Lavallyroe, Co. Mayo. 18 April 1926. Household of John McDONAGH. DED: Course. Available at: https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-1926-census/census-record/#surname__icontains=McDonagh&first_name__icontains=Luke&county=Mayo&limit=30&a_id=1485456 (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  23. Births (CR) Ireland. Claremorris, Co. Mayo. 10 January 1910. Luke McDONAGH. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  24. Births (CR) Ireland. Claremorris, Co. Mayo. 10 October 1906. John McDONAGH. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  25. Births (CR) Ireland. Claremorris, Co. Mayo. 23 October 1912. Mary Ellen McDONAGH. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  26. Births (CR) Ireland. Claremorris, Co. Mayo. 30 October 1914. Michael McDONAGH. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  27. Births (CR) Ireland. Claremorris, Co. Mayo. 18 October 1916. Maggie McDONAGH. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  28. Births (CR) Ireland. Claremorris, Co. Mayo. 21 December 1874. Ellen ROGERS. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  29. Images: Photograph. c. late 1920s-early 1930s. Luke McDonagh. Unknown photographer. Private collection of Linda Cerbone. ↩︎
  30. Images: Photograph. c. 1934. McDonagh family portrait, Lavallyroe. Unknown photographer. Private collection of Luke Theobald. ↩︎
  31. Census. Ireland. Lavallyroe, Co. Mayo. 18 April 1926. Household of John McDONAGH. DED: Course. Available at: https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-1926-census/census-record/#surname__icontains=McDonagh&first_name__icontains=Luke&county=Mayo&limit=30&a_id=1485456 (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  32. 1939 register. England. Derby, Derbyshire. 29 September 1939. Household of Luke McDONAGH. National Archives. RG101/5976H/013/6. PN 5976H. Available at: www.findmypast.co.uk (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  33. Deaths (CR) England. Derby, Derbyshire. 12 January 1979. Luke McDONAGH. National Archives, UK. ↩︎
  34. Births (CR) Ireland. Claremorris, Co. Mayo. 10 January 1910. Luke McDONAGH. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  35. Census. Ireland. Lavallyroe, Co. Mayo. 18 April 1926. Household of John McDONAGH. DED: Course. Available at: https://nationalarchives.ie/collections/search-the-1926-census/census-record/#surname__icontains=McDonagh&first_name__icontains=Luke&county=Mayo&limit=30&a_id=1485456 (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  36. 1939 register. England. Derby, Derbyshire. 29 September 1939. Household of Luke McDONAGH. National Archives. RG101/5976H/013/6. PN 5976H. RG101/5976H/013/6. Available at: www.findmypast.co.uk (Accessed: 18 April 2026) ↩︎
  37. Deaths (CR) Ireland. Claremorris, Co. Mayo. 30 January 1934. John McDONAGH. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  38. Deaths (CR) Ireland. Claremorris, Co. Mayo. 08 February 1941. Ellen McDONAGH. General Register Office, Ireland. ↩︎
  39. Deaths index (CR) England. Derby, Derbyshire. Q4 1996. Margaret OULSNAM. DN 3941B. RN B36C. EN 1196. General Register Office, UK. ↩︎
  40. Images: Photograph. c. late 1980s-early 1990s. Margaret ‘Peggy’ Oulsnam. Unknown photographer. Private collection of Luke Theobald. ↩︎

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