The number of births outside marriage exceeded one in four last year for the first time.
According to figures released yesterday by the Central Statistics Office (CSO), 13,900 children were born outside marriage in 1997, out of a total of 52,300. This compares with 12,500 in 1996, out of a total of 50,400. It is the third year in a row in which births have increased.
The figures were published in the CSO's annual report on births, marriages and deaths.
While the total number of births are up, the number of marriages are down - from 16,300 in 1996 to 15,600 in 1997.
About 10 per cent of all births outside marriage are to girls aged 15 or younger - below the age of consent for sex. In all, I2,700 babies were born to teenage mothers, 56 per cent of whom were under 16.
The statistics also show a rise in infant mortality to 6.2 per thousand live births, which is above the Europe average of 5.5 per thousand. In 1996 there were 278 infant deaths in Ireland, which was the same as the European average, while last year this figure rose to 324.
The figures also show that road traffic accidents are the number one killer of children aged five to 14 in the State.
According to the CSO, 24 children in that age group died in road accidents in 1997 - representing 25 per cent of all deaths for that age group. That is the same figure as in 1996.
Cancer and suicide were the second and third leading causes of death in the five to 14 age group. Cancer killed 12 children in that group last year, representing 12 per cent of deaths, and suicide was responsible for another eight deaths, representing eight per cent of the total deaths in that age group.
Traffic accidents were also the main cause of death in the 15 to 24 age group, with 123 people in this age category dying on the roads last year, compared with 124 in 1996.
Suicide and cancer were the second and third leading cause of death in the 15 to 24 age group in 1997, resulting in 103 and 28 deaths respectively.
Overall, 431 people died as a result of road traffic accidents in the State, compared with 413 in 1996.
Mr Conor Faughnan, public affairs manager for the Automobile Association, said the number of road deaths would decrease if motorists thought more about road safety.
Before driving, motorists should ensure that their seatbelts are fastened, that children are secured in child-seats, that headrests are adjusted properly and that luggage is tied down. He said only 55 per cent of front-seat passengers regularly use seatbelts.