The initiative is one of a number being examined by the HSE in the hope of reducing the number of crisis pregnancies and promoting safe sex.
The vending machines would be located in pubs and nightclubs, with free condoms also being distributed in colleges and among at-risk groups, according to the Irish Independent.
Earlier this year, an Oireachtas committee set up to examine the Eighth Amendment recommended that free contraceptives become more widely available.
Funding for the potential move has already been released under revised estimates for the HSE's sexual health strategy for the coming year.
Also, a decade after the last one, a survey on sexual health will be carried out.
