Ah, the joys of making your first Holy Communion.

Along with the glitz and glamour (and praying), Holy Communions work out to be a pretty plentiful time for primary school kids, with some children scoring up to €570 on the day.

Ulster Bank released a breakdown of how much an Irish child is given on their special day, and well, the numbers might shock you.

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The bank's survey, which was carried out by Empathy Research, found some pretty hefty figures:

  • Children receive an average of €570 in cash on the day

  • 1 in 4 children receive more than €800

  • 13 per cent receive more than €1000

  • Parents spend an average of €845 on the occasion

It also found that male children are more likely to get more money, with the average received by boys this year being €591, compared to girls getting an average of €550.

However, there has been a steep drop in the amount of money parents spend on outfits, make-up and hair for the day.

Saying that, parents still went slightly over budget than they did last year.

  • Party/ celebrations/ food and drink: €388 (+5 per cent on 2016)

  • Child’s outfit for the day: €185 (+5 per cent on 2016)

  • Outfits for other family members: €153 (-27 per cent on 2016)

  • Children’s entertainment: €78 (-48 per cent on 2016)

  • Make-up/ hair (girls only): €41 (-27 per cent on 2016)

92 per cent of parents pay for everything out of their own savings, while half surveyed agreed that the pressure is there to spend as much as other parents have.

Most of the kids' Communion money was spent on toys (42 per cent) and clothes (31 per cent).

What do you think? Is it over the top or an acceptable once-off?

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