On 18 April 1926 the first census of an independent Irish state wasundertaken. Across the 26 counties over 700,000 census forms werecompleted by, or on behalf of, the 2,971,992 people living in the Irish FreeState. But what can we know of the lives that they led? A century later, with the release of the 1926 census by the NationalArchives on 18 April 2026, those forms come alive again - revealing anation in transition and a people forging their identity in the early decadesof independence. The Story of Us brings together an wide range of scholarsto illuminate the individuals and communities hidden within the censusreturns. From island settlements to expanding cities, from rural farmsand urban tenements to the mansions of the aristocracy, the book tracesa vibrant cross-section of society. Lavishly illustrated, it explores themesranging from entertainment and the arts to housing, infrastructure, familylife, and social change. The Story of Us offers not only a compelling portrait of 1926 Ireland.