The first baby of the new year was born at just seven seconds past midnight in Limerick.
University Maternity Hospital Limerick welcomed the baby boy, weighing 3.26kg (7lb 3oz), the first of many born in the State’s hospitals in the first few hours of January 1st.
Slightly later at the Limerick hospital, Margaret Phelan from Newport, Co Tipperary, had a 3.43kg (7lb 9oz) baby girl, as yet unnamed, at 2.55am.
Five babies were born in the course of the morning at the Coombe Women and Infants University Hospital in Dublin.
The first, a baby boy, was born at 1.41am to Christine and Gareth O’Leary from Firhouse and weighed 2.9kg (6lb 4oz). Baby Cian is the couple’s first child.
Five babies were born at Cork University Maternity Hospital in the first few hours of the new year. The first of them, a baby girl, was born to Petra Soltesz and Mark Cummins from Bandon at 3.22am. Baby Ella Louise weighed in at 3.85kg (almost 9lb).
Mr Cummins said the couple were delighted with the birth of their first baby, who had been due on New Year’s Eve, and said his wife was “a trooper” and that it was hoped she would leave hospital on Wednesday.
Grandparents and uncles of Ella-Louise were en route to the hospital on Monday afternoon to welcome the new member of the family.
The Cork hospital also had four baby boys born later in the morning.
Midlands mites
At the Midland Regional Hospital in Mullingar, Sinéad Daly and Leon Martin from Kilbeggan welcomed their baby boy, also Leon, into the world at 2.10am. Nursing staff in the postnatal ward said they were both “over the moon” with the arrival of their first child.
University Hospital Waterford delivered a baby girl at 12.23am.
Two babies were born at Galway University Hospital, a boy at 12.49am and a baby girl at 6.47am.
At Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital in Drogheda, the first baby of January 1st was a girl, born at 1.53am.
A baby boy born at the Rotunda Hospital at 1.35am was the first 2018 birth in Dublin. The National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street, the busiest maternity hospital in the State, had its first new year arrival at 3.03am.