Political parties received almost €160,000 in disclosed donations last year – a 2% increase on 2017 – it emerged on Wednesday.
The details were published by the Standards in Public Office (SIPO) Commission in its annual report.
Each of the 19 parties had to submit a donation statement to the Commission March 31 last disclosing donations last year that topped €1,500 in value.
The maximum value of donations which a political party may accept from the same donor in the same year is €2,500.
Fine Gael received more than half of all the donations and collected €81,899, while Sinn Féin took in €48,470, the Labour Party got €22,150.
Other parties who were given lesser amounts included Fianna Fáil (€2,500) and the Workers and Unemployed Action party (€4,800)
The total amount of disclosed donations was up by €3,120 on the €156,699, received in 2017.
During that 12-month period Fine Gael received €82,713, the Labour Party collected €21,750, Sinn Féin took in €47,436 and the Workers and Unemployed Action party were given €4,800.
Swing gate TD Maria Bailey and Taoiseach Leo Varadkar among 43 Fine Gael deputies and three MEPs to donate a disclosed €81,899.
The 43 year-old Dún Laoghaire representative handed over €1,948 to her party, while the party leader Mr Varadkar donated €1,992.
The lowest amount transferred to Fine Gael came from Deputy Catherine Byrne (€1,529) and the largest sum the party received came from Deputy Josepha Madigan(€2,490).
There were a number of politicians who were given individual donations last year and any above €600 had to be declared.
Labour Party health spokesman received €995 donation from Michael Madden, based in Rye, New York, on December 18 last year through a bank transfer.
Meanwhile, Independent TD Mattie McGrath was given a €900 donation from Dubliner D. O’Driscoll, who has a Blackrock address in March of last year.
Fianna Fáil housing spokesperson Darragh O’Brien received a donation of €850 from a donor listed as a ‘friend’ Brian O’Donoghue of Malahide in Co Dublin on June 30 last year.
The donation was ‘requested’ and itemised as ‘tickets for lunch’.
A second donation of €740 was made to Deputy O’Brien from a donor listed as a ‘friend’ Leo Neary of Lusk in Co Dublin.
It was also said to have been requested and listed as ‘4 tickets for lunch and donation’ in the SIPO annual report and received on June 13 last year.
