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Famous People in the Census

These historical figures have been identified in the Irish census records held on Down The Road. Each entry links to the original household record where you can see who they lived with, their age, religion, literacy, and more.

Portrait of Patrick Pearse

Patrick Pearse

1879–1916

Educator, poet, and leader of the 1916 Easter Rising. Pearse read the Proclamation of the Irish Republic outside the GPO. Executed by firing squad on 3 May 1916.

1901

Patrick Henry Pearse, age 21

Sandymount Avenue, Pembroke East & Donnybrook, Co. Dublin

Head of Family, with brother Willie, mother & sisters

Portrait of James Joyce

James Joyce

1882–1941

Novelist and poet, considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century. Author of Ulysses, Dubliners, and A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man.

1901

James Augustine Joyce, age 19

Royal Terrace, Clontarf West, Co. Dublin

Son in a household of 12 — father, mother & 9 siblings

Portrait of Eamon de Valera

Eamon de Valera

1882–1975

Revolutionary, statesman, and dominant political figure of 20th-century Ireland. Served as Taoiseach and President of Ireland. Only 1916 Rising commandant whose death sentence was commuted.

1901

Edward De Valera, age 18

Williamstown Avenue, Blackrock, Co. Dublin

Student, one of 31 young men at Blackrock College

1911

Edward de Valera, age 28

Morehampton Terrace, Pembroke West, Co. Dublin

Head of Family with wife Sinéad and infant son Vivian

Portrait of Michael Collins

Michael Collins

1890–1922

Revolutionary leader, soldier, and politician. Director of Intelligence during the War of Independence. Chairman of the Provisional Government. Killed in an ambush at Béal na Bláth, aged 31.

1901

Michael Collins, age 12

Lamb Street, Clonakilty Urban, Co. Cork

Son of Denis & Hanora Collins, with 4 siblings

Portrait of Douglas Hyde

Douglas Hyde

1860–1949

Scholar, linguist, and cultural nationalist. Co-founder of the Gaelic League. First President of Ireland (1938–1945). Champion of the Irish language revival.

1901

Douglas Hyde, age 40

Ratra, Frenchpark, Co. Roscommon

Head of Family, wife Lucy, daughters Nuala & Mary, 3 servants

Portrait of Roger Casement

Roger Casement

1864–1916

Diplomat and humanitarian who exposed colonial abuses in the Congo and Peru. Knighted in 1911. Attempted to secure German arms for the 1916 Rising. Executed for treason on 3 August 1916.

1901

Roger Casement, age 37

Wellington Street, Caher, Co. Tipperary

Head of Family, Church of Ireland, with soldier servants

1911

Roger Casement, age 47

Cronroe, Glenealy, Co. Wicklow

With mother Minie (70), sister May, and 5 servants

Portrait of Kevin Barry

Kevin Barry

1902–1920

IRA volunteer and medical student. Captured during an ambush on a British army convoy aged 18. The youngest person executed during the War of Independence. Immortalised in the ballad "Kevin Barry".

1911

Kevin Barry, age 10

Grand Canal Street, Upper, Pembroke West, Co. Dublin

Son of Thomas & Kathleen Barry, spoke Irish and English

Portrait of William T. Cosgrave

William T. Cosgrave

1880–1965

Politician and revolutionary. Fought in the 1916 Rising. First President of the Executive Council of the Irish Free State (1922–1932). Father of Liam Cosgrave, later Taoiseach.

1901

William Cosgrave, age 20

James's Street, Ushers Quay, Co. Dublin

Step Son in the Burke household, spoke Irish and English

Portrait of C.S. Lewis

C.S. Lewis

1898–1963

Author of The Chronicles of Narnia and The Screwtape Letters. Born in Belfast, raised at Little Lea, Strandtown. His full name was Clive Staples Lewis.

1901

Clive Staples Lewis, age 2

Dundella Avenue, Victoria, Co. Down

Son, aged 2, with father Albert, mother Florence, brother Warren (5)

Portrait of Ernest Walton

Ernest Walton

1903–1995

Physicist who, with John Cockcroft, first split the atom by artificial means (1932). Nobel Prize in Physics 1951. The only Irish-born Nobel laureate in physics.

1911

Ernest Thos S Walton, age 7

Riverview Terrace, Banbridge West Urban, Co. Down

Son of Methodist minister John Arthur Walton

Portrait of Ernie O'Malley

Ernie O'Malley

1897–1957

IRA leader during the War of Independence and Civil War. Author of On Another Man's Wound, one of the finest memoirs of the revolutionary period. Born in Castlebar, family moved to Dublin.

1901

Ernest Bernard Malley, age 3

Eillison Street, Castlebar Urban, Co. Mayo

Son of Luke & Marion Malley, with brother Francis and 2 servants

1911

Ernest Bernard Malley, age 13

Iona Drive, Glasnevin, Co. Dublin

Family now in Dublin — 8 children, 2 servants

Portrait of Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington

Hanna Sheehy-Skeffington

1877–1946

Suffragist, nationalist, and political activist. Co-founded the Irish Women's Franchise League. Daughter of MP David Sheehy. Her husband Francis was murdered by a British officer during the 1916 Rising.

1901

Hanna Sheehy, age 23

Belvedere Place, Rotunda, Co. Dublin

Daughter in the Sheehy family home, father David Sheehy MP

Portrait of Horace Plunkett

Horace Plunkett

1854–1932

Pioneer of the Irish cooperative movement. Founded the Irish Agricultural Organisation Society (IAOS). Senator in the Irish Free State. Champion of rural modernisation.

1901

Horace Plunkett, age 46

Dunsany, Killeen, Co. Meath

Brother in the Ponsonby household at Dunsany Castle, 9 servants

1911

Horace Plunkett, age 56

Foxrock, Stillorgan, Co. Dublin

Head of Family at Kilteragh, Foxrock, with visitors and 5 servants

Portrait of Tom Barry

Tom Barry

1897–1980

IRA commander during the War of Independence. Led the Kilmichael Ambush (1920) and the Crossbarry Ambush (1921), two of the most significant engagements of the conflict. Author of Guerilla Days in Ireland.

1901

Tom Barry, age 6

Gorbioe, Bantry Rural, Co. Cork

Son of John & Bridget Barry, one of 8 children

Portrait of Dan Breen

Dan Breen

1894–1969

IRA leader who fired the first shots of the War of Independence at Soloheadbeg, Co. Tipperary on 21 January 1919. Later became a Fianna Fáil TD. Author of My Fight for Irish Freedom.

1901

Daniel Breen, age 5

Ballybeg, Kilmucklin, Co. Tipperary

Son of Daniel (61) & Hanora Breen, with 3 siblings

Portrait of Edward Carson

Edward Carson

1854–1935

Unionist leader and barrister. Led the campaign against Home Rule and organised the Ulster Volunteer Force. Prosecuted Oscar Wilde. First Lord of the Admiralty during WWI.

1901

Edward Carson, age

Sandycove Harbour, Glasthule, Co. Dublin

Listed at Sandycove — names recorded without ages

Portrait of Maeve Markievicz

Maeve Markievicz

1901–1962

Daughter of Constance Markievicz (née Gore-Booth) and Count Casimir Markievicz. Raised by her grandmother Georgina Gore-Booth at Lissadell, Co. Sligo while her mother was active in the revolutionary movement.

1911

Maeve Markievicz, age 9

Ballinvoher, Drumcliff East, Co. Sligo

Grand Child of Georgina Gore-Booth at Lissadell, Church of England

Portrait of Casimir Markievicz

Casimir Markievicz

1874–1932

Polish-Ukrainian nobleman, painter, and playwright. Husband of Constance Markievicz (née Gore-Booth), the revolutionary who was the first woman elected to Westminster. Constance herself has not yet been identified in the census.

1911

Casimir Dunin Markievicz, age 37

St. Stephen's Green, East, Mansion House, Co. Dublin

At the Markievicz home on St Stephen's Green

Portrait of Padraic Colum

Padraic Colum

1881–1972

Poet, playwright, novelist, and folklorist. Key figure in the Irish Literary Revival. His plays were among the first performed at the Abbey Theatre. Later moved to New York.

1911

Patrick Joseph Columb, age 29

Frankfort Place, Rathmines & Rathgar West, Co. Dublin

Son in the Columb family home, with 4 siblings

About this page

These identifications are based on matching names, ages, and known addresses from historical records against the 1901 and 1911 Irish census data. Some common names (e.g., James Connolly, Michael Collins) appear many times in the census — only records verified against known biographical details are listed here. If you spot an error or know of another famous person in the census, please get in touch.

Portraits sourced from Wikimedia Commons; all images are in the public domain.