OBJECTIVES: This exploratory study was designed to explore the social correlates of suicides rates of Irish counties.
METHOD: Suicide rates were calculated for Irish counties and subdivisions for the period 1988-1994 and correlated with social data for these regions obtained from the 1991 Census.
RESULTS: The suicide rates showed a low level of reliability for the periods 1978-1984 and 1988-1994, and the social correlates of suicide rates changed between the two periods. Whereas age structure was associated with suicide rates in 1978-1984, urbanisation was associated with suicide rates in 1988-1994.
CONCLUSIONS: It is important to check the reliability of results of ecological studies of Irish suicide rates. Furthermore, the impact on suicide rates of the changing role of women in Ireland needs to be explored in time-series studies of the Irish suicide rate.