Irish political parties received €186,910 in large donations last year, an amount dwarfed by the €11.4 million they got in State funding, according to figures released by the Standards in Public Office Commission yesterday.
In 2004 Sinn Féin received the most in large political donations, €88,559.79 in total, all of which was in donations from senior elected party representatives.
The five Sinn Féin TDs gave €6,000 each, while senior Northern figures such as Gerry Adams, Martin McGuinness and Gerry Kelly each gave €5,801.31 to the party. It received no private donations that had to be declared.
Fianna Fáil was the only political party to attract any significant number of large private donations, receiving seven donations that amounted to €43,572.
Under ethics rules, any donation of €5,078.95 to a political party has to be declared to the commission, and donations from an individual or company are capped at €6,348 for any given year.
Donations from abroad are also banned except in the case of an Irish citizen living abroad.
Donations of more than €5,000 to Fianna Fáil declared last year include estate agents CB Richard Ellis Gunne, builders Durkan New Homes Ltd and Maplewood Developments.
Glencullen Distributors, the company belonging to businessman Bill Cullen, also made a maximum donation of €6,348 to the party, as did engineering firm Sepam Specialist and Monaghan food company Silver Hill Foods.
The Green Party declared €36,258, most of which came from its six sitting TDs, although New York-based businessman Tony White also made a donation of €5,658.
Neither Fine Gael, Labour nor the Progressive Democrats declared any donations over €5,100. The Socialist Party declared donations of €18,520.85, which came from Joe Higgins TD and councillors Ruth Coppinger and Clare Daly.
Fianna Fáil was the largest recipient of State funding for parties, receiving €4.29 million from the Exchequer. Fine Gael got just over €2.9 million, Labour €1.84 million and the Progressive Democrats €750,000.
Sinn Féin received State funding of €705,000, the Greens €637,000 and the Socialist Party €55,413.
Political parties receive State funding from two sources, the leaders' allowance and Exchequer funding under the Electoral Act.