31 homes around the country have been searched by gardaí as part of an investigation into the possession and distribution of child abuse images.
The raids, under Operation Ketch, were carried out over two days and computers, phones, iPads and other equipment have also been seized.
Nine males have made admissions to gardaí and charges are expected to follow.
It is the second phase of an operation, which has resulted in files to the Director of Public Prosecutions, court proceedings and juvenile liaison intervention.
More than 60 suspects have been identified in total, 18 have admitted their involvement, two are juveniles.
Another man was arrested last week.
The latest searches were the second in a series of raids under Operation Ketch - set up to target people suspected of possessing and distributing child exploitation images.
They began yesterday and continued today.
Gardaí say the investigation by the Online Child Exploitation Unit at the Garda's Protective Services Bureau has been under way since last year.
As well as their own inquiries, gardaí received information from law enforcement authorities abroad and secured warrants in court to search designated addresses in Ireland.
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Assistant Commissioner John O' Driscoll said that nine people had made admissions in relation to offences.
Those questioned are all male, and range in age from their teens to their 70s.
He said the results of the raid highlight the problem of child abuse and that it is a societal problem and that it is a business in which a lot of money is being made.
He said he would like to see technology companies make it more difficult for people to access this type of material.
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Speaking on RTÉ's Six One, Assistant Commissioner O'Driscoll said that gardaí are working to establish the identities of the children in the material seized during the raids.
He said he is confident that the children do not live in this jurisdiction but rather that they are from continents far away, and gardaí are working with law enforcement at an international level on this.
During the searches today, 15 counties were visited and 18 divisions of An Garda Síochána were involved.
He said that on the previous occasion in February, 12 counties were involved.
He said that in every single case the child and family agency Tusla is involved and a risk assessment is being carried out.
