Society & State – Ireland Through Its Records

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Exhibition venue: Coach House Gallery, Dublin Castle Gardens, Dame Street, Dublin 2, D02 X822

The Irish Free State came into existence in December 1922 after a decade of upheaval and revolution. A snapshot of the new state was taken on 18 April 1926, when the first post-independence census was held. It provided the government of the day with a portrait of Ireland and its people.

Census 1926 is due for public release in 2026 and this exhibition takes that first census as a starting point to explore aspects of life in independent Ireland as reflected in a selection of records retained in the National Archives. These records reveal how the State and Irish society interacted from the 1920s to the end of the twentieth century.

About the exhibition

Society & State: Ireland Through Its Records consists of a selection of over one hundred records from the National Archives, many on public display for the first time; wall-mounted, illustrated exhibition text; and archival film footage relating to a range of themes, including:

Identities
The state and its citizens
Leisure and popular culture
Public religion and public morality
Infrastructure
Securing the state
Irish work and Irish workers
Migration
Ireland and the wider world
The arts
Social change

Exhibition Information

Exhibition dates: 17 April – 8 September 2024

Opening hours: 10am – 5pm daily

Admission free

Exhibition venue: Coach House Gallery, Dublin Castle Gardens, Dame Street, Dublin 2, D02 X822

This exhibition is presented by The National Archives of Ireland, Dublin 8.