Sir, – I wish to "second" John Linehan's call (Letters, February 16th) for the relaxation of the hundred-year rule with regard to the publication of the 1926 census.
The early release of the 1926 census was approved by the then-government, according to a statement by then-minister for heritage Jimmy Deenihan, on March 9th, 2012, wherein he indicated that legislation to digitise the census had been approved by the cabinet.
By the end of 2012, the legislation was still not in place but Mr Deenihan continued to say that the government planned to release the records in time for the anniversary of the 1916 Easter Rising. Other than the introduction of a private member’s Bill in May 2016, there has been no movement since.
The 2012 “political intent” and the fact that the 1901 and 1911 censuses were released for public inspection in 1961 (online since August 2009) support the case to promptly publish the 1926 census, the first taken by the Irish State, and which gives us a window on a period that covered some of the most significant events in our history – the 1916 Rising, the War of Independence, partition, the creation of the State and the Civil War. – Yours, etc,
MICHAEL GANNON,
Kilkenny.