Irish children receive more money for holy communion

rainbowdrop · 11-05-2011 10:26AM

I got rushed to hospital to have my tonsils removed the day I was supposed to get my Communion. Had to get mine two weeks later with kids from another school that I didn't know:(. Was eating ice-cream in a hospital bed when I should have been receiving Communion for the first time!

I made my Communion in England and, as others have said, I don't think the culture of giving loads of money existed over there. Maybe now it does but I made mine in the mid 80s and I don't remember getting much money. I do remember going out for a meal with my family, which was a great treat and getting the usual Rosary Beads, prayer book and loads of sweets from my Aunties.

When my daughter made her Communion (in Ireland) a few years ago, she got €400 which was probably at the lower end of the scale compared to what some of hers friends got. She bought a trampoline which gets used all the time, so a good investment!!

11-05-2011 10:32AM

I made just under £100 for both. That was a lot of money.

Rocket19 · 11-05-2011 10:36AM

ALSO! I really am NOT looking foward to being a proper 'adult'.

When I think about it, when I was a kid, my parent's friends and relatives religiously gave me money for EVERYTHING.
Birthdays, communions, confirmations, Christmas, Exams results...

How do peope cope with parting with this much money. At Christmas my parents give FIFTY euro to every one of my cousins, 50s to the kids of their close friends and 20s to the others.

How do people even cope with this if they are short of money? Giving gifts and presents to everyone?
You can't exactly go to a communion or something without giving the kid something as you'll look tight. But at the same time it is totally retarded that its expected to give money when (in most cases) the kid is just 'going through the motions' anyway.

Hannibal Smith · 11-05-2011 10:46AM

If you know the kid, you have to give 50. 20's too little...and forty made up of two 20 euro notes just looks so stingy and you'd be afraid they'd think 'why wouldn't they just go the extra tenner for a whole note!'

If you know the parents more than the kid, or your a mate, I think 30 quid is more than enough.

Anyone know how much your supposed to give if you're the godparent?

Professey Chin · 11-05-2011 10:49AM

Made mine in 93.Made somewhere between 100-150.
Spent it on Super Mario Land 2 and a Game Boy case & backlight thingy.
Maybe a Turtles game too.Think thats where the rest of it went.

NTMK · 11-05-2011 10:49AM

Made £350 for my communion in '98 and £/€300 for my confirmation in '01 one of my little cousins made €1100 in 07 for his commuinion:eek:

Saila · 11-05-2011 10:50AM

cant remember, I can hardly remember my confirmation!
must be the whole blocking religion thing out

AgileMyth · 11-05-2011 10:51AM

Rocket19 wrote: »

ALSO! I really am NOT looking foward to being a proper 'adult'.

When I think about it, when I was a kid, my parent's friends and relatives religiously gave me money for EVERYTHING.
Birthdays, communions, confirmations, Christmas, Exams results...

How do peope cope with parting with this much money. At Christmas my parents give FIFTY euro to every one of my cousins, 50s to the kids of their close friends and 20s to the others.

How do people even cope with this if they are short of money? Giving gifts and presents to everyone?
You can't exactly go to a communion or something without giving the kid something as you'll look tight. But at the same time it is totally retarded that its expected to give money when (in most cases) the kid is just 'going through the motions' anyway.

Just don't go. If anyone questions you just say you "disagree with organised religion", they'll rarely question that.

Also, your parents are mad.

Professey Chin · 11-05-2011 10:51AM

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

If you know the kid, you have to give 50. 20's too little...and forty made up of two 20 euro notes just looks so stingy and you'd be afraid they'd think 'why wouldn't they just go the extra tenner for a whole note!'

If you know the parents more than the kid, or your a mate, I think 30 quid is more than enough.

Anyone know how much your supposed to give if you're the godparent?

2 20s look stingy??? :eek:

11-05-2011 10:52AM

NothingMan wrote: »

No idea what I got for my communion. Probably around £50. Would have been around 92 I think. Can't remember. No recollection of the day or the money. For my confirmation I made £110. I went to the cinema and McD's with my friends and I spent £90 on a pair of Bauer F1 roller blades that I used til they didn't fit and then passed them along. So some value for money.

That's what I did too

Korvanica · 11-05-2011 10:53AM

Got about 800 Pounds... Bought 2 Playstation games and a bike... saved the rest...

gosuckonalemon · 11-05-2011 10:55AM

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

If you know the kid, you have to give 50. 20's too little...and forty made up of two 20 euro notes just looks so stingy and you'd be afraid they'd think 'why wouldn't they just go the extra tenner for a whole note!'

If you know the parents more than the kid, or your a mate, I think 30 quid is more than enough.

Anyone know how much your supposed to give if you're the godparent?

When would you not know the parent more than the kid?

syklops · 11-05-2011 10:56AM

I got 95 pounds for my communion in around 94. Fast forward to about 2005 and my cousin got over a thousand :eek:

It is way too much for an 8 year old.

gosuckonalemon · 11-05-2011 11:04AM

I was listening to Sean Moncrieff and Henry McKeane (the most boring cnut known to man) was doing a Vox Pop on the subject.

As always, he targeted the inner city flats demograph, an easy target for a cheap laugh..

There was a woman on saying the day would cost her around 1,200€ but repayments to her loan shark would mean over 2,000€ by the end. (600€ on the suit alone).

She estimated her child would earn 800€ on the day and she wouldn't be taking any of this back.

What the fcuk is wrong with these people? Makes you wonder if she should be givin food stamps and fuel allowance instead of actually welfare payments.

MagicSean · 11-05-2011 11:07AM

I got £75 in 1990. Was delighted. £50 in the bank and the rest on booze and broads.

Dunjohn · 11-05-2011 11:09AM

Can't remember when I made my Confirmation, '92 or '93 thereabouts. In order to be cool, you had to get past the £100. I think I got about £110. I saved most of it, but did buy Scrabble.

Can't even remember making my First Communion.

BizzyC · 11-05-2011 11:14AM

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

If you know the kid, you have to give 50.

You have to be kidding, €50 is way too much money to be giving a child of 7 or 8 as a gift.

cbmonstra · 11-05-2011 11:20AM

^^^

Exactly.... My oh had to give his mother's friends child money for her communion last year.

He doesn't even know the child at all, and had to hand over 50 quid (his mam's orders) while the kid stood there, with her hand out waiting for it.

The child didn't even say Thank You!! I rarely feel the need to scold other peoples children, but this was one of those moments when I just had to say 'When someone gives you something, it's usual to say Thank You.'

Child looked at me like I had two heads. I felt very grown up saying that, it was weird!!

sh1tstirrer · 11-05-2011 11:23AM

Hannibal Smith wrote: »

If you know the kid, you have to give 50. 20's too little...and forty made up of two 20 euro notes just looks so stingy and you'd be afraid they'd think 'why wouldn't they just go the extra tenner for a whole note!'

If you know the parents more than the kid, or your a mate, I think 30 quid is more than enough.

Anyone know how much your supposed to give if you're the godparent?

You give what you can afford. Seriously this €20 and €50 nonsense is turning the whole thing into a competition. I know people that invite as many people to their childs holy communion so their child will get more money :rolleyes:

michelledoh · 11-05-2011 11:24AM

I think on my communion i got about £20 (all in £1 coins)

I made my confirmation in 2000 (midddle of the Celtic tiger i suppose) and got roughly about €200 which was huge money then and kept me going for years! Some of the kids in my class got €2000! Madness! I don't know what they could have spent it on!

11-05-2011 11:30AM

got €650 for both my communion (2004) and confirmation (2008).
was getting €50 off grandparents, neighbours, aunts and uncles.
one aunt gave me €100 for both occassions. another uncle, felt sorry for not being able to go to my confirmation so he gave me €100

el oh el · 11-05-2011 11:31AM

I god around 50 quid in total, including the value of gifts and this was in the 90's...

gosuckonalemon · 11-05-2011 11:33AM

cbmonstra wrote: »

^^^

Exactly.... My oh had to give his mother's friends child money for her communion last year.

He doesn't even know the child at all, and had to hand over 50 quid (his mam's orders) while the kid stood there, with her hand out waiting for it.

The child didn't even say Thank You!! I rarely feel the need to scold other peoples children, but this was one of those moments when I just had to say 'When someone gives you something, it's usual to say Thank You.'

Child looked at me like I had two heads. I felt very grown up saying that, it was weird!!

With all due respect, there is something very, very wrong if a grown man is ordered by his mother to hand over excessive amounts of money to a young girl.

It shouldn't be the girl you were scolding it should have been his mother, and also gave him a proper bollicking and tell him to M.T.F.U.

hartnett_mark · 11-05-2011 11:37AM

I have huge family and they gave me around 100 pounds, and some gifts, but it wasn't even close to this what is happening right now, kids get notebooks, smartphones, digital cameras plus huge amounts of money.

chillywilly · 11-05-2011 11:42AM

Addilynn Shallow Pantsuit wrote: »

I got forty-five pounds in 1996. My younger brother got over a hundred two damn years later. :mad:

So it's not just Boards members that think ill of you :pac:

cbmonstra · 11-05-2011 11:45AM

gosuckonalemon wrote: »

With all due respect, there is something very, very wrong if a grown man is ordered by his mother to hand over excessive amounts of money to a young girl.

It shouldn't be the girl you were scolding it should have been his mother, and also gave him a proper bollicking and tell him to M.T.F.U.

I don't give out to my oh's mam. I don't have a death wish

.

Of course he got an bollicking off me (out of his mam's earshot), but he'll always obey his mam, like a good irish boy.

Seriously though, if he's happy to hand over the 50 that's up to him, it's not my money... The child should have the manners to say Thank You, however, and I was just pointing it out to the child, as her parent's obviously never did.
I felt it was good for her to hear it off somebody. Not like I gave out stink to her or anything.

sh1tstirrer · 11-05-2011 11:52AM

On tv3 news a few weeks ago a reporter went to a school to do a report on first holy communion. She asked a girl what was the best part of the day for her, the girl said the money. She asked her how much money did she expect to get the girl replied at least €1000 :rolleyes:

holystungun9 · 11-05-2011 11:55AM

Tax them. That'll learn'em real good.

Dyr · 11-05-2011 11:56AM

cbmonstra wrote: »

^^^

Exactly.... My oh had to give his mother's friends child money for her communion last year.

He doesn't even know the child at all, and had to hand over 50 quid (his mam's orders) while the kid stood there, with her hand out waiting for it.

The child didn't even say Thank You!! I rarely feel the need to scold other peoples children, but this was one of those moments when I just had to say 'When someone gives you something, it's usual to say Thank You.'

Child looked at me like I had two heads. I felt very grown up saying that, it was weird!!

Something similar happened to me at the mothers' funeral. The old man comes up to me outside the church and insists that I find the give the altar girl and give her money (the old man is big on tipping all sorts of people, mainly because its never his money thats being used) anyway I catch the kid just before she disappears into the parochial house and i realise i've only 50s on me. I'm standing there humming an hawing looking for a twenty, the kid is looking at me wondering what the f**k I'm at no doubt. As is the sky pilot who's standing over beside the house waiting on the kid.

In the end I just gave her a 50, the priest asked me later did I intend to give her that much, he thought I might have gone daft with the grief. :pac:

c_man · 11-05-2011 12:00PM

michelledoh wrote: »

Some of the kids in my class got €2000! Madness! I don't know what they could have spent it on!

They used it as a downpayment on some apartments in an up and coming area of Leitrim.

Communion money was the life blood of the construction industry!

Irish children receive more money for holy communion

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