Tell me about . . . Filling out the Census form last week

Recently retired Bantry librarian Noel O’Mahony gave his dog Max a mention in the form!

Did you fill out the Census in your house?

Yes, I filled it out for myself and my wife, Rebecca. I listed our son, Eoghan, in the ‘Absent Persons’ section of the form as he is away in college in UL. It took me about 45 minutes to fill out.

What did you put in for the time capsule question? 

The opportunity to write something to put in a time capsule is a ‘world first’ for a Census form which I thought was a great idea. I wrote firstly about our own family and home life (even our dog, Max, got a mention!) and then went on to highlight the nationwide “Climb With Charlie” initiative which took place the previous day (Saturday, April 2nd). It encompasses the spirit of generosity, empathy and support innate in the Irish people. Finally, the world is in a scary place at the moment with the Coronavirus, climate change and the war in Ukraine. Hopefully, in a 100 years’ time, the planet will be in a better place than where it is now.

Were there any questions you found particularly odd or challenging?

The explanatory notes were quite clear so it made it relatively easy to fill out the form. Although I did wonder why, for example, a utility room, could not be counted as a room in Question H5.