Changing population - People lie behind stats

The latest statistics released by the CSO give an insight into the changing face of Ireland.

There was a slight drop in the number of births in 2011, but the total for the year was still more than 23% higher than it was in 2002.

One in three of the births were outside of marriage. In one sense this may be disturbing, but it does show that the awful stigmatism that blighted what should have been a happy occasion for many young mothers has now mercifully been abandoned to a darker period of our history.