More than 837,000 ED visits so far this yearUniversity Hospital Limerick (UHL) had the highest number of ED attendances at 49,647Patients attended emergency departments (EDs) more than 837,000 times in the first six months of 2026 – an increase of almost 53,000 (or 6.75 per cent) on the same period last year. Cork University Hospital saw the highest proportionate rise in attendances, up 11.5 per cent, with 47,681 presenting at its ED so far this year. Mater University Hospital in Dublin had the third highest number of ED visits and the second highest percentage increase in attendances. Among the country’s smaller Model 3 hospitals, Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda had the highest number of ED admissions, with 11,835. In its 2025 annual report, the HSE recorded over 1.64 million ED attendances last year, up 4.3 per cent on 2024.