2019 was the worst year ever for hospital overcrowding, according to the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation.
End-of-year analysis shows 118,367 patients went without hospital beds. That's a 9% increase on 2018.
Over 1,300 of the patients were under the age of 16.
The worst months for overcrowding were November when 12,055 people were on trolleys, followed by October and September.
The worst-hit hospitals in the country included University Hospital Limerick, Cork University Hospital and University Hospital Galway.
While the Mater Hospital was worst affected in Dublin, with 6,031 patients left waiting for beds.
The INMO has pointed to understaffing and a lack of capacity as the key drivers of overcrowding.
General Secretary Phil Ní Sheaghdha says things are getting worse, not better;
"These figures should be falling, but we're going the wrong direction. 2019 saw thousands more patients without proper beds - often at one of the most vulnerable points in their lives."
She went on to say; "Overcrowding used to be a winter problem. Now it's an all-year problem, which gets worse in winter."
