The 1911 census is now available online from The National Archives of Ireland. This census covers the 6 counties of Northern Ireland, as well as the 26 counties of Ireland.

The on-line resource includes the original household manuscript returns, which are the forms filled out and signed by the head of each household on census night. The basic divisions for the census are: County; District Electoral Division; Townland or Street. For each townland/street, there are a number of original household returns, filled in and signed by heads of households.

The returns include a number of forms including the basic household return (form A) which gives details of all occupants, (i.e. name, age, sex, relationship to head of the household, religion, occupation, marital status, county or country of birth); a house and building return (form B1) which gives details of houses and building and how many people lived in them; a Return of Out-Offices and Farm-Steadings, which details extra buildings on the property, and an Enumerator's form, which details number of houses in an area, the number of occupants and their gender and religious breakdown. There are also a number of institutional and shipping forms for workhouses, barracks, orphanages, etc.

There is also more information on how to search the Census on the website: www.census.nationalarchives.ie/.