The Department of the Taoiseach is sitting on €30,000 worth of gifts that were presented to the Taoiseach or Ceann Comhairle but were considered too valuable for them to keep.
An official log of high-value items reveals how various Taoisigh and the current Speaker of the Dáil have received eleven gifts that had to be surrendered under ethics rules.
The items include a painting by dancer Michael Flatley, a €7,700 Rolex watch, a Samuel Beckett first edition, and a bust of JFK.
Under ethics rules around receiving gifts, individuals in high public office are not allowed to accept a present that is worth more than €650 due to the risk of corruption.