Dáil Éireann Debate, Wednesday - 13 March 2013
20. Deputy Thomas P. Broughan asked the Minister for Arts, Heritage and the Gaeltacht the date on which the 1926 census will go online; in view of the benefit of genealogical heritage tourism for Ireland if he is planning any additional initiatives to enhance and support this important sector; and if he will make a statement on the matter. [12868/13]
View answerAs the Deputy is aware, the Programme for Government contains a commitment to enabling the publication of the 1926 Census records. Following discussions in recent months, my Department, the CSO and the National Archives have agreed an approach to facilitate the preparatory work necessary to enable the publication of the 1926 Census records and a 1926 Census Working Group has been established to advance the project.
While tourism is a matter for my colleague, the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport, I am conscious of the tourism potential of genealogy for attracting the Irish Diaspora to our shores. Indeed, as the Deputy will be aware, 2013 is the year of the Gathering, an initiative of the Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport and one that my Department and the national cultural institutions which operate under its aegis are very pleased to participate in. My Department will shortly launch a genealogy portal as part of its contribution to the Gathering. The portal will bring together genealogy records for a number of official sources, making the researching of family histories more accessible to all.
