Cork actress traces her family roots to revolutionary grandfather

Cork actress Eileen Walsh sets out to uncover the remarkable story of her revolutionary grandfather in a new documentary series.

The 49-year-old, who made her name in Disco Pigs on stage 30 years ago alongside Cillian Murphy, is one of six well-known people who feature in two-part Come To Your Census, which starts on RTÉ1 on Sunday at 6.30pm.

The series follows them as they step back in time to explore Ireland’s past in deeply personal ways.

It is timed to coincide with the release of the 1926 Census - the first carried out as a Free State - by the National Archives of Ireland, making these historic records available online, in full and free to the public for the first time.

To mark this landmark release, the documentary series follows six well-known faces as they gain access to the Census, guided by archivists from the National Archives and expert historians, as they uncover the stories about the people and communities that came before them.

In the first episode, trade unionist Mick Lynch, Raidió na Gaeltachta presenter Gormfhlaith Ní Thuairisg, and architect Dermot Bannon explore their history through the 1926 Census.

In Cork city, Lynch traces his father’s family back to the now-derelict lanes of the city’s former slums, uncovering the story of his widowed grandmother who was raising a young family alone.

In Connemara, Ní Thuairisg explores the role the Irish language played in shaping her family’s identity and values.

And in Waterford, Dermot Bannon reveals the stark reality for a small town living in the shadow of an industrial school for children.

Actress Walsh features in the second episode on May 10, as she discovers the role her grandfather played in revolutionary times.

Also in that episode, in Dublin’s Liberties, novelist and UL Professor of Creative Writing Joseph O’Connor traces his family’s working-class roots, uncovering a community that shaped several generations of his family. And in Mayo, RTÉ Radio 1 radio presenter Louise Duffy explores the powerful roles played by women in the rural community where she grew up.