The heel prick test will screen for two more rare conditions from today, the Department of Health has said.
It said testing for Severe Combined Immunodeficiency (SCID) and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) will now be carried out through the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening, which is better known as the heel prick test.
SCID is a group of disorders that cause major abnormalities of the immune system.
SMA is a condition that causes progressive muscle wasting.
The addition brings to 11 the number of conditions that newborns can be tested for under the programme.
Around 130 babies are identified as having one of the conditions each year.
In a statement, Minister for Health Jennifer Carroll MacNeill said: "The addition of SCID and SMA to the National Newborn Bloodspot Screening Programme is a significant milestone.
"I know it will be very welcome news for families all over Ireland."
She added that the programme allows for the detection of "rare but serious conditions which benefit from early intervention and lead to vastly improved outcomes for children".
The screening will help identify around six babies born with SMA and two born with SCID each year, the HSE said.
"This early detection allows for earlier treatment, leading to better outcomes for babies with these conditions," the HSE National Clinical Lead for the Child Health Public Health, Dr Abigail Collins, said.
SMA Ireland also welcomed the announcement.
SMA Ireland Director Jonathan O'Grady said it is a "truly historic day for all the families who have campaigned so tirelessly for the screening of babies born in Ireland for Spinal Muscular Atrophy".
"Early detection is critical with SMA and including it in the heel prick test provides the opportunity of timely intervention, offering a more hopeful outlook for babies and their families," he added.
