You cannot donate at this time. However, we would be delighted to see you when you are 18.

If you have never given blood before, then you cannot donate However:  - if you are between 65 and 69 years and have given blood in the last 10 years then you can give blood.  - if you are 70 years or over and you have given blood in the last 2 years and you have a certificate of fitness from your GP, you can give blood. The certificate is valid for 12 months from the date of issue.

If you weigh less than 50 kgs you are unable to donate at this time. If you weigh more than 130 kgs you are unable to give blood at a mobile blood donor clinic.  However, the weight bearing capacity of the donation beds in D'Olier St and Stillorgan Clinics is higher.  Please phone us for further information at 1850731137.

If you are a female under 26 years of age and are less than 5ft 6 inches (168cms) in height and less than 10st 3lb (65 kgs) your height and weight will need to be assessed to establish your eligibility to donate.

Please click on the link below if this applies to you. 

Important-information-for-female-donors.doc

You cannot donate if you have any illness or injury which may mean that it is not safe to give your blood to a sick patient. Please check the FAQs or contact us on 1850 731 137 so that we can advise you.

Some medications can be harmful to a patient receiving a blood transfusion.  You may not be be able to donate if you are taking medication to treat an illness or infection. In general, you must be fully recovered from an illness or infection and have completed the course of medication before donating. Certain medical conditions require long term use of medication.  For information about specific conditions and medications, please see the FAQs.  Please note, not all medications prevent donation -  please contact us at 1850 731137 for further information. Please ensure that you know the name of any medication you are currently taking or have taken in the past 4 weeks so that we can can assess your eligibility to donate.  

You cannot donate if you had an endoscopy (scope) in the last 4 months. If you were diagnosed with a medical condition or illness, please check the FAQs or contact us on 1850 731 137 so that we can advise you.

Travel outside of Ireland carries a risk of transmitting an illness such as Malaria, West Nile Virus, Zika Virus, and Dengue virus (among others) to sick patients.  following return from a Malarial risk area, you cannot donate for 12 months.  following return from a tropical area, you cannot donate for 3 months  Following return from a country or area that is not tropical and has no risk of Malaria you may need to wait for up to  28 days after return before donating -  please contact us at 1850 731137 for further information.

You cannot donate for 4 months from the date of the tattoo or the piercing.

You cannot donate during pregnancy and for 12 months after your pregnancy.

You can not donate if you have ever had syphillis or gonorhoea.  You can donate 5 years after complete recovery and conclusion of treatment for other STIs.

Why did the IBTS decide to change from the lifelong deferral to one year for MSM since their last sexual contact?

There are many reasons why a person may not be eligible to donate on the day they attend a donation clinic.  The IBTS constantly reviews these deferral criteria and makes changes as appropriate.  In the case of men who have sex with men (MSM) a lifelong deferral has been in place since the emergence of HIV in the 1980s.  In light of changes to this deferral criterion in other countries the IBTS decided to review its lifetime deferral of MSM donating. 

The IBTS held a conference on 21st/22nd April 2016 at which data was presented from countries that had changed their deferral criteria for MSM.  The data showed that there had not been an increase in the number of HIV positive blood donations since the change in the deferral policy.  It was concluded that international experience had shown that a one year deferral is as effective as a lifetime deferral from the point of view of protecting the blood supply against the risk of HIV transmission.

What does this mean in practice?

This means that a man whose last sexual contact with another man was more than 12 months ago will be eligible to donate if he meets the other donor selection criteria.  A man who has had oral or anal sex with another man in the past 12 months will still not be eligible to donate, even if he used a condom.

What about the risk from emerging infections?

While the one year deferral will protect against the risk of transmission of HIV there is concern that it may not be sufficient to deal with an emerging infection.  Therefore the Board of the IBTS decided that any person who has had a notifiable sexually transmitted infection, such as chlamydia or genital herpes will be deferred for 5 years after completion of treatment.   Persons who have had syphilis, gonorrhoea, lymphogranuloma venereum (LGV) or granuloma inguinale are already permanently excluded from donating.  It was also decided that person who have taken medication to prevent HIV infection i.e. pre or post exposure prophylaxis (PrEP/PEP) will be deferred from donating for 5 years thereafter.  It is hoped that these measures will add an additional layer of protection against emerging infections. 

In addition, there are other measures in place to quickly identify new emerging infections if they occur and to help to protect against these infections entering the blood supply.  These measures include an international surveillance network and rapid development of new molecular tests.

When will the change come into effect?

The change will be introduced on 16th January 2017

How does the changed criteria impact people who were previously deferred?

Persons who were deferred under previous criteria will be eligible to donate if they meet the new donor eligibility criteria

Will the IBTS consider further changes to the policy in the future?

The IBTS will closely monitor the effects of the current changes over the next few years in order to help ensure that blood safety is maintained.  At the same time, the IBTS will continue to work in this area and review its donor deferral policies to ensure they reflect the most up to date scientific knowledge.  This process must be data driven, so the timeframe for future changes is not something that can be predicted.

Find more information on MSM here

Because of the risk of variant CJD you cannot donate blood.

* UK includes Northern Ireland, England, Scotland, Wales, the Channel Islands and the Isle of Man.

You can donate if you received a blood transfusion in the Republic of Ireland before 1st January 1980 (depending on the reason for the transfusion -  please check the FAQs or contact us on 1850 731 137 so that we can advise you).  If you received a transfusion after this date you cannot donate blood.  However, if you received  an autologous transfusion (your own blood) you can donate after 12 months.