Gifts for dignitaries cost just €1,700

The Department of Foreign Affairs spent just €1,759 on gifts for foreign dignitaries in the last two years — including cufflinks for Arab dignitaries who seldom wear Western-style shirts.

The most expensive gift went to UK foreign secretary William Hague, in the form of a €180 framed ‘fáilte’ ogham stone, while a delegation of five from Abu Dhabi received the cheapest gifts, a €6 keyring each.

Gifts mainly comprised of stationery, bowls, and art prints, though Tánaiste Eamon Gilmore gave a €135 chess set to Chinese vice president Xi Jinping.