Ambulance services in Dublin responded to nearly 600 calls by 6am this morning in what was a busy St Patrick's night for gardaí and emergency services.
Nearly all the calls were alcohol-related a fire brigade spokeswoman said.
"It was busy all day, but since six o'clock the calls have literally be flying in. It's comparable to New Year's Eve or Halloween. It's certainly more busy than any other bank holiday Monday and most of the calls are drink-related."
Gardaí in stations around the State said they had made a large number of public order arrests, however, most said that the numbers were not unusual for St Patrick's Day.
"It's very busy, but it's all run of the mill public order offences, and for St Patrick's Day, that's not unusual, unfortunately," gardaí in Cork city said.
Gardaí in Dublin city and suburbs also dealt with large numbers of drink-fuelled incidents, although numbers were not available last night.
Gardaí said that drink-related vandalism and fights began earlier than usual yesterday.
Meanwihle, a garda spokesman told ireland.com that they would not be releasing nationwide figures for public order arrests.