Why are Irish civil registration records so often unreliable?

[Maiden Stone]

because we don't give a ….., sur' it will do, twil be grand, it's not harming anyone, what they don't know won't hurt them, but most important, tell em nothing and a little white lie never hurt anyone.

"Tell 'em nothin' " was said by an English-born member of my family & generation, about a local council official. My dad, 2nd generation Irish, was a bit cavalier (or just vague) about official records. His father entered several falsehoods ( mistakes? inaccuracies?) on 1911 census when he was head of household. I knew the facts. GF's age fluctuated. He was same age as his younger sister on 1911 census; their ages had gone in opposite directions and coincided in 1911. His true age was on his death certificate and tombstone.
Note that police constables collected census returns in Ireland. Police were not always popular people.
Knowledge is power so don't let those who have power over you know too much about you, seems to have been the attitude. I've adopted my Irish family's motto to the likes of Facebook in the present day. 

[Maiden Stone]

 I was also thinking that due to its rough history, literacy in Ireland might have been historically lower than in Scotland or England which meant less accurate records. I had a google but wasn't able to find statistics about this though.

1901 & 1911 Irish census had questions about literacy & language. Results may be collated somewhere.

Btw the surname of my eldest aunt, then a child, was spelled phonetically, with the wrong initial letter, on Irish census. She was staying with her grandfather. He spoke Irish and English and couldn't read or write. I assume someone else completed the census form. I have a letter from him, presumably dictated, written in phonetic English as spoken by an Irish person;  e.g. one spelled "wun"; once as "wunse" .

[Crumblie]

Wrong ages would often be given on marriages to try and hide that there was a big age gap between to two parties.

[carol8353]

My father in law born Ennis in 1911 has 3 different dates of birth,all during June 

They reckon it's because the family lived a long way out of town and when his father went to register the birth,he travelled via the pub. When he got to the town hall he said the missus gave birth to a baby last Wednesday.The registrar didn't know which Wednesday he meant so put what he thought.

His baptism has a different date and he celebrated his birthday on yet a 3rd date.

[hallmark]

On the 1979 (no census in 1976) and 1981 Census I'm recording as living in a house I hadn't lived in since 1973.

Maybe a pile of unpaid bills in your name too....    


 

[Sinann]

On the 1979 (no census in 1976) and 1981 Census I'm recording as living in a house I hadn't lived in since 1973.

Maybe a pile of unpaid bills in your name too....    


 

I was a bit too young for bills

[Maggsie]

In the Civil records, I have noticed that some people have used the dates of the registration not the birthdates.
Also some Church records show the Baptism date and the actual birthdate.
Maggsie

[ABradley]

"Whatever you say, say nothing"

                                 Seamus Heaney

[hallmark]

"Whatever you say, say nothing"

                                 Seamus Heaney

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