Census of Population Introduction The first major census, using a household form, was the so-called Great Census of 1841. Censuses were subsequently taken at ten-year intervals up to 1911. The first census following the formation of the State was undertaken in 1926. This was followed by censuses in 1936 and 1946. Commencing with 1951, censuses have been taken every five years. The census planned for 1976 was cancelled at a late stage as a Government economy measure. However, the need for up-to-date population figures resulted in a census being specially undertaken in 1979 with a restricted number of questions. This was followed by a full census in 1981, and a resumption of the five-year interval for census taking. This five-year periodicity was broken in 2001 when the census planned for that year was postponed until April 2002 due to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease.