Infanticide is emerging as one of the most significant categories of homicide in the Republic. In a number of cases a parent has killed children and then killed himself or herself.
The growth in the rate of infanticide remains unexplained and is being examined by medical authorities in Dublin.
Altogether, about 129 people have suffered non-accidental - or what also can be termed "homicide" - deaths in the period since February 1999.
The largest single category of homicides in the Republic still involves domestic disputes in which an adult spouse or partner or child is killed. Of those that have died since the start of 1999, according to analysis by The Irish Times, about 48 adults or children could be said to have died in a domestic setting and were killed by a relative.
The next-largest group appears to be deaths in brawls, most commonly late at night in circumstances that in all cases involve drink or drugs. One of the most common places of this type of homicide is outside a late-night food outlet after both parties have been drinking heavily. There are about 44 of these killings.
Homicides resulting from the activities of organised criminals and republican paramilitary groups - the two often intersect - could be said to account for 29 of the deaths in this period.
Some four murders involve the killing of a woman where sexual assault or rape has also taken place. There were about four murders involving disputes exclusively among members of the Travelling community.
A small number of homicides does not fit these categories.
It would appear that the non-accidental death of children represents one of the most clearly definable and frequently occurring types of homicide in the State. It now represents over one-third of domestic homicides.
There is little open or informed debate about the phenomenon here. It is not clear why there appear to be fewer child homicides in Northern Ireland, which otherwise has a much higher level of general homicide than the Republic.
Several of the cases of infanticide remain before the courts.
However, among those that have occurred is the case of Mrs Maeve Byrne (37) and her two children, Alan (10) and Shane (6), from Cuffesgrange, Co Kilkenny. On September 25th, 2000, Mrs Byrne was beaten and stabbed to death by her husband, Stephen. He then drove his car off a pier at Duncannon, Co Wexford, drowning the children and himself.