The 1966 Census of Ireland was held on 17 April 1966. It was organised by the Central Statistics Office (CSO) and reported a total population of 2,884,002, which was a 2.3% increase in a span of five years. The total population rebounded from a record low of 2,818,341 recorded in the 1961 census, although northern and western regions continued to steeply decline in population. The census results were released gradually across seven volumes between 1967 and 1970.
Information collected For each household surveyed, the 1966 census requested the number of rooms in the dwelling occupied by the household, as well as ten primary pieces of information on each individual present, which were: i - Name ii - Relationship to head of household iii - Sex iv - Date of birth v - Marital status vi - Principal occupation (for persons 14 years or older) vii - Employment status (whether employee, employer, etc.) viii - Name of employer and business ix - Area and rateable valuation of agricultural land held x - Age at which full-time education ended and name of school, college, etc. (for persons not in full-time education)
Release schedule The seven volumes and their release schedule are as follows: Volume 1 - Population of DED's, towns and larger units of area (1967) Volume 2 - Ages and Conjugal conditions classified by areas (March 1968) Volume 3 - Industries (July 1968) Volume 4 - Occupations (January 1969) Volume 5 - Occupations and industries classified by areas and conjugal conditions (July 1969) Volume 6 - Housing and Households (December 1969) Volume 7 - Education (May 1970)
Results Population The total population of the Republic of Ireland according to the 1966 census was 2,884,002 of whom 1,449,032 (50.24%) were male and 1,434,970 (49.76%) were female. The population breakdown by province and county, and by city, are outlined below. While the total national population increased by 2.3% since the 1961 census, there were large regional variations, with northern and western counties in particular continuing a steady trend of depopulation. County Dublin experienced rapid growth of over 10% during this period, while every county in Connacht and Ulster recorded a population decrease.
By province Province Flag Irish name Population (1966) Density (km2) Counties Connacht 401,950 22.7 5 Leinster 1,414,415 71.4 12 Munster 859,334 34.8 6 Ulster (part of) 208,313 25.8 3
By county Rank County Population Density (km2) Province Change since previous census 1 Dublin 795,047 862.3 Leinster 10.7% 2 Cork 339,703 45.2 Munster 2.7% 3 Galway 148,340 24.1 Connacht -1.0% 4 Limerick 137,357 49.8 Munster 3.1% 5 Tipperary 122,812 28.5 Munster -0.8% 6 Mayo 115,547 20.7 Connacht -6.3% 7 Kerry 112,785 23.5 Munster -3.2% 8 Donegal 108,549 22.3 Ulster -4.6% 9 Wexford 83,437 35.3 Leinster 0.2% 10 Clare 73,597 21.3 Munster -0.1% 11 Waterford 73,080 39.3 Munster 2.3% 12 Louth 69,519 84.2 Leinster 3.2% – South Tipperary 68,969 30.6 Munster -1.6% 13 Meath 67,323 28.7 Leinster 3.4% 14 Kildare 66,404 39.2 Leinster 3.1% 15 Kilkenny 60,463 29.2 Leinster -2.0% 16 Wicklow 60,428 29.8 Leinster 3.3% 17 Roscommon 56,228 22.1 Connacht -5.0% 18 Cavan 54,022 28.0 Ulster -4.5% – North Tipperary 53,843 26.3 Munster 0.3% 19 Westmeath 52,900 28.8 Leinster 0.1% – Dún Laoghaire Borough 51,772 2,876 Leinster 8.3% 20 Offaly 51,717 25.8 Leinster 0.4% 21 Sligo 51,263 27.9 Connacht -4.3% 22 Monaghan 45,732 35.3 Ulster -2.9% 23 Laoighis 44,595 25.9 Leinster -1.1% 24 Carlow 33,593 37.5 Leinster 0.8% 25 Leitrim 30,572 19.2 Connacht -8.7% 26 Longford 28,989 26.6 Leinster -5.4% Total Ireland 2,884,002 41.0 2.3% Average 110,923
By city CityPopulationDublin650,153Cork125,283Limerick58,082Waterford29,842Galway26,295
Viewing the returns The census returns of 1966 are confidential until 2066 due to Section 35, of the 1993 Statistics Act which bans the release of census return forms until 100 years after the enumeration date. However, the reports published by the Central Statistics Office and are available online from the CSO website to freely access.
See also Census tract Demographics of the Republic of Ireland Irish population analysis
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