Ireland Welcomes First Babies of 2026 in Early Morning Hours

New Year's Day Brings Joy Across Ireland

New Year's Day 2026 brought immediate joy to families across Ireland as the first babies of the year began to arrive just seconds after midnight. Hospitals in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland were busy welcoming these special newborns, marking a heartwarming start to the new year.

Dublin Hospitals Lead Early Arrivals

In Dublin, the Rotunda Hospital welcomed one of the very first babies, a boy named Elliot Deak, at just 35 seconds past midnight. Elliot, weighing 3.65kg (8lbs 1oz), is the son of Rachel and Adam Deak from Rathnew, Co Wicklow.

Almost simultaneously, at 40 seconds past midnight, the National Maternity Hospital in Dublin saw the arrival of Millie Elizabeth Kelleher. Millie, weighing 2.9kg (6lbs 6oz), is the second child for parents Sally and John Kelleher from Naas, Co Kildare, and has an older brother, Max.

The Coombe Hospital in Dublin also had a busy start to the year, with several early births:

• Kash Burke arrived at two minutes past midnight, weighing 3.8kg (8lbs 5oz). His parents are Rebecca and Keane Burke from Dublin 8, and he is their second child.
• Leo McNamee was born at five minutes past midnight, weighing 3.65kg (8lbs 1oz), to parents Danielle McNamee and Troy from Lucan, Co Dublin.
• Anjali Sivakumar followed at six minutes past midnight, weighing 3.1kg (6lbs 13oz). She is the second child for her mother, Ranjitha Sivakumar from Dublin.

Northern Ireland's First Arrivals

Northern Ireland also celebrated its first newborns of 2026. At Belfast's Royal Victoria Hospital, Rosie-Lee Harkin was born at just 10 seconds past midnight. Weighing 2.8kg (6lbs 1oz), Rosie-Lee is the daughter of Natasha Byers and Daniel Larkin from Lurgan, Co Armagh.

Later in the morning, other babies were welcomed across Northern Ireland, including a daughter for Una Sullivan at 00:45 AM at the Ulster Hospital, weighing 8 pounds 1 ounce. In County Fermanagh, Croia Rose Landers was born at 7:35 AM at South West Acute Hospital (SWAH) to parents Olivia Kubiak and Mark Landers from Derrylin.

Nationwide Celebrations

Beyond Dublin and Belfast, other hospitals across Ireland reported New Year's Day arrivals. Asqa Samad was born at 1:21 AM at Portiuncula University Hospital in County Galway to parents Farzana and Afsal. In Drogheda, Baby Mustafa arrived at 2:29 AM at Our Lady of Lourdes Hospital, weighing 7.2lbs, to mother Ifrah Mir from Navan. These early births across the island brought a wave of celebration and hope for the year ahead.