The body of a newborn baby was discovered partially buried in the sand on a North Dublin beach on Saturday morning.

The full-term baby girl was found on Bell’s Beach, Balbriggan, by a volunteer who was cleaning the beach the morning after a storm.

A post mortem examination of the body found that no foul play was involved in its death, and gardai have issued an urgent appeal to the mother of the baby to contact them, the Irish Independent reports.

Speaking at a press conference yesterday afternoon, Sergeant Fiona Savidge of Balbriggan Garda Station said: "A member of the public found the body of a newborn baby at Bell’s Beach in Balbriggan. I want to get in touch with the mother of this baby, I am reaching out to you. I know you need medical attention.

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"You need to go to your doctor, possibly a 24-hour doctor on call.

"If you could also go to an accident and emergency 24-hour care is available there.

"We are here at Balbriggan Garda Station at (01) 666 4500 or Tusla can be contacted 24-hours a day on 0818 776 315.

"I can assure you you will be treated with the utmost of compassion, care and 100pc confidentiality.

"I know you are a daughter, you are possibly a sister, a cousin.

"You may have a husband or a boyfriend. You may just have confided in a friend, so to anybody out there who the mother of this baby has got in touch with I am appealing to you to make contact with us here."

Police are questioning area locals in an effort to establish the identity of the child’s mother.

Gardai are appealing to anyone with information about the incident to contact them.

Local Fine Gael Councillor Tom O’Leary said: “Without knowing any of the circumstances I would appeal to the mother to come forward to seek the help and medical attention she needs.

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"Maybe she is under a lot of pressure, we don’t know the circumstances and the matter is very delicate.

"Maybe her family and friends are aware of her situation and they could assist her in coming forward. She needs to talk to somebody.

"God almighty. We don’t know the circumstances but to think of anyone that might have had to go through that alone and also in those terrible weather conditions, alone on a beach.

"I can’t bear to think of it. It’s just so tragic. I am shocked. The whole of Ballbriggan will be in a state of shock.”