Being a Godparent - honour or burden?

A new study has found that more than three quarters of Irish adults have been made Godparents.

More than one in five adults has three Godchildren or more.

In theory Godparents provide spiritual guidance, but in reality it seems they also provide a constant stream of presents.

A survey of more than 1,000 shoppers by gift voucher firm One4All shows the average spend on gifts is between €30 and €50 per gift, with most people forking out up to €200 a year on a single Godchild.

But One4All's Aoife Davey doesn't think that consumerism has overtaken religion.

"(Being a Godparent) has just taken on more facets," she said. "They're responsible for moral and spiritual guidance but they're also advisors, listeners, friends (and) role models, so it is a relationship worth celebrating."