The blood service has issued an urgent appeal for donors. Ms Deirdre Healy, spokeswoman for the Irish Blood Transfusion Service, said stocks were so "critically low" that the service may not be able to supply hospitals if enough donors did not come forward over the next week.
"We are extremely low on stocks of negative blood types. We have no units of AB negative and the minimum we should have is 30 units.
"We have just 20 units of B negative and the same of O negative." A unit is just under a pint.
She said O negative was the universal type, which is given in cases where paramedics or surgeons don't have time to establish a person's blood type.
It is also the type given to new-born babies in need of a transfusion.
Just 8 per cent of the population has this blood type.
While the IBTS should have stocks of about 160 units, it currently has just 20.
"So if a hospital had a serious road traffic accident victim, and that person needed type AB negative, we wouldn't be able to supply that hospital at the moment Someone could die," said Ms Healy.
There will be special blood donor clinics today in Dundalk, in Kanturk, Co Cork and in Newport Co Tipperary.
Details of locations and times are available from the IBTS at its web site, www.ibts.ie, or on the low-call number 1850 731137.
