First Communion: I think the whole First Communion thing has been blown out of proportion in Ireland and yes, it is only Ireland.

This mad money collecting thing is not seen in the UK or Australia. My daughter made her First Holy Communion recently. Lucky for me it was outside of the homeland! I bought her dress in Dunnes (yes, shock horror!). I bought her bag and hairband in the summer sale in Debenhams and her shoes were bought here. In total, I reckon the cost was €55 and she looked beautiful. It's not that I can't afford the big prices – I could, but chose not to. My daughter has no clue about the "how much did ya make" syndrome. Friends here can't believe the stories of sunbeds, helicopters and the likes. It wasn't that way when I made mine. Somewhere along the line we have lost the run of ourselves. – Charli

I got £26 in 1980 and that was back when £26 was not a lot of money. I bought some Lego and was as happy as Larry. Although I am not religious, I do think that there should still be a place for Communion in our culture. It serves a purpose as a community celebrating together their children coming to a certain age. Maybe in this day and age it might not seem as important as it did in the past when it was a greater achievement for a child to turn 6 or 7, but take it away and there would be nothing . . . unless we can find a replacement, how about a non-denominational or secular community festival which doesn't exclude the newcomers to the country and simply brings people together to celebrate the children. No fancy wedding dresses and no wads of cash in envelopes; just food and drink and gathering of people. Sounds nice. – Larry

I got £120 in 1984, which was good going, I'd say, and bought a Raleigh Burner. Good times . . . – Dealga