Objective: Acquisition of a new range of skills occurs during first year anaesthesia training. The first twelve months of specialist anaesthesia training represent the steepest part of the learning curve, and thus large differences in performance should be apparent between the first and last quarters of this period. At present, no published quantitative logbook data exist for the Irish anaesthesia trainee. The aim of this study was to quantify the number of practical procedures performed and supervision required during first year anaesthesia training, in order to better understand the changes in skills occurring in trainees over this defining period. Methods: A retrospective analysis of prospectively maintained logbooks of three first year anaesthesia trainees was performed. Results: In the first three months, mean numbers of cases were 224, endotracheal tube (ETT) 64, laryngeal mask airway (LMA) 55, spinal anaesthetic 12, arterial lines 9.5, central lines 0.5, peripheral nerve blockade (PNB) 2, epidurals 0. There was 91.5% direct supervision and 8.5% indirect supervision. In the final three months, mean numbers of cases were 205.5, ETT 28, LMA 35, spinals 50, arterial line insertions 4.5, central line insertions 1.5, PNB 3.5, epidurals 80. There was 68.5% direct supervision and 31.5% indirect supervision. Conclusions: The use of logbooks to chart progress through training has many advantages. However, the number of procedures or cases logged should not be read in isolation, or compared with hard targets of "proficiency". Rather, logbooks need to be read with reference to the performance of peers in training. This snapshot of training provides a useful flavour of the experience of novice anaesthesia trainees, and their progress within their first year, and could be used as a benchmark for future logbook based assessments.