Thomas Lyons 
The Central Statistics Office (CSO) in Ireland has recently digitised the Census 1911 documents, providing a glimpse into the wealthiest and poorest counties at the time. The documents reveal that the wealthiest counties were located in the east of the country, while the poorer counties were situated on the western seaboard. Meath was the wealthiest county in 1911, with a population of 65,091, a valuation of £553,823 and a valuation per person of £8.51. Westmeath followed closely behind with a population of 59,986, a valuation of £328,635, and a valuation per person of £5.48. Tipperary was ranked 9th, with a population of 152,433, a valuation of £689,495, and a valuation per person of £4.52. Galway was ranked 30th, with a population of 182,224, a valuation of £483,466, and a valuation per person of £2.65. Mayo was the poorest county, with a population of 192,177, a valuation of £323,093, and a valuation per person of £1.68.
Out of the 20 wealthiest District Electoral Divisions (DEDs), 17 were located in Leinster, with eight alone in Meath, the highest number for any county. The remaining 12 DEDs were located in Kildare (three), Queens County, now known as Laois, (two), Westmeath (two), and one each in Belfast city, Cork, Dublin city, Dublin county, and Roscommon. Culmullin DED, Dunshaughlin Rural District, Co. Meath, with a valuation per person of £20.97, was ranked first. It was closely followed by Bodenstown DED, Naas No. 1 Rural District, Co. Kildare, with a valuation per person of £19.88. Greenpark DED, Mullingar Rural District, Co. Westmeath, was ranked 20th, with a valuation per person of £14.74.
Out of the 20 poorest DEDs, 11 were located in Connacht, while there were none from Munster. Donegal had eight DEDs out of the 20 poorest DEDs, the highest amount for any county. Annagary DED, Glenties Rural District, Co. Donegal, was ranked first in the poorest DEDs, with a valuation per person of £0.23. Knocknalower DED, Belmullet Rural District, Co. Mayo, was ranked number 20, with a valuation per person of £0.48.
Culmullin DED in Meath was identified as the wealthiest DED in 1911, with a valuation per person of £20.97. Culmullin had a land area of 9,036ac with 129 houses in 1911, of which 115 were inhabited. The Gaisford household was recorded as living in Culmullin DED, Meath. The household consisted of five people: A married couple, Douglas and Elizabeth Gaisford, and three servants, Sarah Browne, Fanny Ashell, and Emily McIlray. Their house had 21 rooms along with 13 outhouses and farmsteadings. Douglas Gaisford is also listed as the landholder for three other houses on associated returns. The Census returns for the other three houses contain occupation descriptions such as gardener, coachman, or general labourer, presumed to be for persons employed by the Gaisford household.
Annagary DED in Donegal was identified as the poorest DED in 1911, with a valuation per person of £0.23. Annagary had a land area of 9,731ac with 694 houses, of which 639 were inhabited. The Duffy household was recorded as living in Annagary DED, Donegal. The household consisted of 11 people, with the head of the family, Grace Duffy, listed as a farmer’s wife. There were nine children aged from 18 down to one year old and a grandmother aged 73. Their house contained just two rooms along with one outhouse or farmsteading. This household Census return records the roof of this house as being of ‘thatch, wood or other perishable material’ while the walls were of ‘stone, brick or concrete’.
The statistics are accompanied by fascinating images from the time, provided by the National Library of Ireland, on the CSO website. The Census 1911 documents provide a unique insight into the social and economic conditions of Ireland in the early 20th century. The documents reveal the vast disparities in wealth and living conditions between different regions and social classes. The digitisation of these documents has made them more accessible to researchers and the general public, providing an opportunity to explore and understand the history of Ireland in greater detail.
