Eleven men are to be ordained to the priesthood this year, a significant increase on 2007 when only two priests were ordained.
The 11 graduates from St Patrick's College in Maynooth are currently being ordained in dioceses throughout the country.
This is the highest number of new priests Ireland has seen since 2002 when 12 priests were ordained.
Commenting on the ordinations, Monsignor Hugh Connolly, president of St Patrick's College Maynooth said: "We give thanks to God for the generosity and commitment of these 11 students who are to be ordained to the priesthood in this the year designated by the Church as the 'Year of Vocation'.
In 2006, the latest year for which figures are available, there were 3,078 diocesan priests and 3,278 religious order priests in Ireland.
There are currently 68 seminarians studying in Maynooth.
