Come to Your Census podcast series of the same name, hosted by historian Liz Gillis, is the accompanying podcast series to the Come to Your Census TV documentary series starting in May 2026.
Joined by archivists and fellow historians – all of whom were granted early access to the records before they were issued to the public – Liz unpacks some of the key themes that emerge from the pages of the 1926 census.
Over six episodes, the series reveals the stories, communities and social changes that shaped Ireland during the early years of the Free State.
Episode One: FROM GOLA ISLAND TO THE WORLD.
In this episode, Liz Gillis speaks with Orlaith McBride, Director of the National Archives of Ireland, who reflects on the personal and national significance of the Census. From her family’s home on Gola Island in Co. Donegal, she shares how census records have helped preserve the story of a small island community across generations, and reveals the immense, labour-intensive effort undertaken by her team to transform fragile original returns into a free, searchable digital archive now accessible around the world.
Episode Two: REVOLUTIONARIES – WHERE ARE THEY NOW?
By the time the 1926 Census was taken, Ireland had endured fifteen turbulent years that reshaped the nation, from the 1916 Rising to the War of Independence and Civil War. In this episode, Liz Gillis speaks with Greg Walls, a historian and PhD candidate from Trinity College Dublin, to uncover where some of the revolution’s most recognisable figures found themselves after the creation of the Irish Free State. From Eamon de Valera and Kevin O’Higgins to Constance Markievicz, we explore how these Pro and Anti-Treaty leaders were living in 1926, the conditions they returned to, and how the census itself became, for some, a subtle act of protest.
EPISODE THREE: BE OUR GUEST – A TEMPORARY BED FOR THE NIGHT.
In this episode, Liz Gillis is joined by Zoe Reid, the National Archives’ Keeper of Manuscripts, to explore the stories hidden in census entries from those who were not at home on census night. From hotels and guest houses to city lodgings, the records offer a snapshot of an emerging tourism industry in the Free State, Irish people travelling for work, and visitors passing through a newly independent nation.
Zoe also uncovers a lively house party at the home of the Guinness family, complete with some notable names on the guest list. While looking at these temporary residents, the census also captures, in Upstairs Downstairs fashion, the staff whose job it was to care for these guests.
EPISODE FOUR: THE PROTESTANT POPULATION OF IRELAND’S BORDER COUNTIES.
In this episode, Dr. Cormac Moore joins Liz Gillis to explore what the 1926 Census reveals about the Protestant population in Ireland’s border counties. While the data points to an overall decline, Liz and Cormac look at how that trend was notably bucked in Drum, Co. Monaghan, where the Protestant population grew, and in Pettigo, Co. Donegal, a town newly divided by the border. Here, demographic shifts reshaped the town centre as its Catholic population increased. Together they examine the local impact of partition, the work of the Boundary Commission, and how national decisions were felt in the everyday lives of border communities.
EPISODE FIVE: FOREIGN NATIONALS AND THE FREE STATE
In this episode, we look beyond the idea of a newly independent Ireland as isolated or inward looking and turn to the 1926 Census to uncover a more complex picture. Liz Gillis speaks with Dr. John Gibney from the Royal Irish Academy about the foreign-born nationals captured in the census. They explore the legacy of British military presence, the impact of major civic projects drawing workers from abroad, and the family run businesses that brought international influences to high streets across the country.
EPISODE SIX – DUBLIN’S SOCIAL HOUSING
This episode delves into the 1926 Census to explore the stories behind some of Dublin’s earliest public housing projects. In it, Liz Gillis is joined by local historians Maria O’Reilly and Eamonn Delaney, both with personal family connections to some of these schemes.
From The Tenters in Dublin 8, an ambitious 1922 development on the edge of the Liberties, to the visionary Marino estate on the northside, we look at some of the first residents there through their census entries and discover how these new communities offered stability in a city facing increased housing pressure.
This episode also examines British built housing provided to Irish First World War veterans, even after the formation of the Free State, and discusses the widows they left behind them.
