2011 census - snapshots of our existence

Posted on April 10, 2011 at 12:48 PM

I am in Sligo today with the Palmerstown Camera Club.  I am one of the WAGHABs (Wives and Girlfriends Husbands and Boyfriends, plus there are grandparents, uncles, aunts, daughters, sons and other members of extended families too, who have joined the club, or who have like me tagged along for the very enjoyable and relaxing social side of the trip). I will be home tonight in Lucan to fill out the census form with my family. Some day our descendants will look at the 2011 census as part of their quest to find out more about their origins, just like I have done looking up the census of 1911 and 1901 for my grandparents, great grandparents and great uncle and aunts, many of whom were in Sligo when those census were taken. Just like I have looked up old photographs of my parents, grandparents, their friends and families. Those census snapshots in time of our ancestors were taken when cameras were rare.  They showed who existed at the time, just like photographs record us, and convey something to those that will look at them in the future. 100 years ago my grandparents' parents filled out the census in Sligo (and Mayo and Scotland too). Tonight I will fill out my family's census return.

For more information about the census, including the history of census returns,  see www.census.ie

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