Clare recorded its highest number of deaths recorded in a three month period since 2022 in the first quarter of this year.
Despite this, there were almsot 40 more births than deaths in the county in the first three months of this year.
The 283 deaths recorded between January and the end of March were the most in a quarter in the last four years.
An overal natural increase of 38 was still seen, aided by a near 10% increase in the birth rate compared to 2025, as 321 births were registered in Clare in the first quarter of 2026.
Diseases of the circulatory system were noted as the most prevalent cause of death, accounting for 29% of the overall total.
Malignant neoplasms were the next most common cause of death, with Clare recording no infant or neonatal deaths in the first three months of the year.
Of the 321 births in the first quarter of 2026, 217 were within marraige with the remaining 104 to mothers outside of marraige.
The average age of mothers who gave birth in the first three months of the year was just shy of 34 years old.
