This article is from page 16 of the 2014-09-30 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 16 JPG
with mini baby booms.
The recent downturn in the number of Clare babies being born appears to be affecting girls rather than boys. While the number of Clare boys being born remains largely consistent – 208 in the f rst quarter of 2013 compared to 208 this year – the number of female births has dropped dramatically. According to f gures obtained from the CSO the number of female babies born in Clare has fallen by almost 9 per cent in just 12 months. The overall birth rate from the county has fallen from 14.1 last year to 13.5 so far in 2013.
Despite the reduction in the number of children born in Clare this year the overall population in the county continues to rise at a relatively steady rate. A total of 211 Clare people died in the f rst three months of this year – much less than the 396 people who were born during the same period.