Irish Census Geography
Form A from 1911 census
(National Archives of Ireland)
If you have already found some of your Irish ancestors on either the 1901 or 1911 Irish censuses, you will have noticed that the household returns are organised on 3 levels;
However, it's always a good idea to check out what was written on some of the other forms too as this will give you some more geography that may prove useful when looking for other records. The image on the left is from Form A of the 1911 census for one of my ancestors and can help me find other records for him thus;
Various different land divisions appear on different forms from these 2 surviving censuses, some of which I have to admit I'm not sure exactly what they are and how they might help you further e.g .Constabulary District and Sub-District?
However, I ought to include some "words of wisdom" I found printed on one of the Enumerator's collating forms that quite frankly made me want to weep. Just when you think you've got to grips with some of the fundamentals of Irish geography, apparently "A townland or street could be in 2 Parliamentary Divisions or could be in more than 1 DED or more than 1 parish" - you have been warned!
If you would like to understand more about the various terms and see how they intersect and layer up with each other on some great interactive maps, then John Grenham is your man! His Irish Ancestors YouTube channel has some short talks on the following geographical terms,
- County e.g. Wicklow
- District Electoral Division (DED) e.g. Wicklow Urban (Kilmantin Ward)
- Townland or Street e.g. Main Street part of
However, it's always a good idea to check out what was written on some of the other forms too as this will give you some more geography that may prove useful when looking for other records. The image on the left is from Form A of the 1911 census for one of my ancestors and can help me find other records for him thus;
- Poor Law Union (Rathdrum) - did he seek relief from the parish, have to enter the workhouse or perhaps he served as a Governor on the Board of Guardians or was a supplier?
- Barony (Arklow) - were there land records for him that might be organised by this ancient division?
- Parish (Drumkay) - was the family mentioned in any surviving parish registers or vestry minutes?
- Parliamentary Borough & Division (East Wicklow) - was he registered as a voter? Voter lists may also be organised by DED in major towns and cities.
- Urban District (Wicklow) - perhaps there may be records of him paying rates on properties?
Various different land divisions appear on different forms from these 2 surviving censuses, some of which I have to admit I'm not sure exactly what they are and how they might help you further e.g .Constabulary District and Sub-District?
However, I ought to include some "words of wisdom" I found printed on one of the Enumerator's collating forms that quite frankly made me want to weep. Just when you think you've got to grips with some of the fundamentals of Irish geography, apparently "A townland or street could be in 2 Parliamentary Divisions or could be in more than 1 DED or more than 1 parish" - you have been warned!
If you would like to understand more about the various terms and see how they intersect and layer up with each other on some great interactive maps, then John Grenham is your man! His Irish Ancestors YouTube channel has some short talks on the following geographical terms,
(c) Irish Geneaography - 2025
