The first baby of the year was one of twin girls born to an Armenian couple in the National Maternity Hospital at Holles Street in Dublin. Natalie Arutunayan, weighing 5 lb 11 oz, was born at one minute past midnight yesterday morning.
She was followed seven minutes later by her younger sister, Angela (6 lb 9 oz). The twins bring to five, the number of children in the Arutunayan household. Their mother, Rozanna, pronounced herself "very happy" with the two new additions, while father Ashot explained how he and his wife wanted "a large Irish family".
"We do not have family here in Ireland but our children will now." Of their five children, only the eldest, Shora, was born in Armenia. Three-year-old Melanie and one-year-old David, were both born in Ireland. "Melanie, she kept saying to us, I want a little sister," according to her father. "But God has given us two girls. I like girls." Ashot plans to open a shop near his home in Beaumont in a fortnight's time.
Holles Street just pipped University Hospital, Galway, for the laurels of the first baby of 2004, where a 10 lb 8 oz baby girl was born at 12.08 a.m. to Siobhan and Noel Carroll of Ballybrit. The first baby at Portiuncula Hospital in Ballinasloe was a baby girl at 12.47 a.m. Her parents are Caroline Duggan and her husband Michael Brennan, from Frenchpark, Co Roscommon. The first baby in Cork was a boy, born at 1.48 a.m. in Erinville maternity hospital , to parents Ian and Clair Haseldine of Schull, Co Cork. A 7 lb 3 oz girl, arrived at 12.20 a.m. at Waterford Regional Hospital. Her parents are Niamh and Paul Savage from Faithlegg.