Sir, – In the upcoming Census, there is a simple question, “Where were you born?”
However, this is qualified by “where your mother was living at the time of your birth”.
My parents were living in Co Limerick where my father was working. My mother was attending an obstetrician in Dublin, and I was born in a nursing home off Baggot Street in January 1947, so I was born in Dublin and not where my mother was living.
I did write to the Central Statistic Office after the last census with respect to “mother was living etc”. I received an acknowledgement but no further follow-up.
I feel that a slight change is needed for clarification and a possible solution would be to change the “was living” to simply “was”. – Yours, etc,
BRIAN D BYRNES,
Sutton,
Dublin 13.
Sir, – If in an absent-minded moment I forget to tick the relevant male/female box, someone examining the form will randomly assign a sex to me.
Suppose the person assigns me female sex. In 100-years’ time some descendent goes looking for some family history information, will my great great grandchild discover that their great great grandfather was female?
A sobering thought.
– Yours, etc,
VINCENT MURPHY,
Douglas Road, Cork.