Property developers and major businesses account for the vast majority of the £750,000 given to the State's political parties last year, according to information released by the Public Offices Commission.
A Goodman company AIBP, Mr John Magnier's Coolmore Stud and the Glen Dimplex chairman, Mr Martin Naughton, were among the donors to Fianna Fail. Dr Tony O'Reilly's brother-in-law, Mr Peter Goulandris, and Waterford Crystal, chaired by Dr O'Reilly, gave money to Fine Gael.
The figures published yesterday included all donations of more than £4,000 to political parties during 1998. The 16 registered political parties are required by the Electoral Acts of 1997 and 1998 to provide this information annually.
Fianna Fail received £432,501, more than the other parties combined. Sinn Fein came next with £214,527, including £189,777 from its US fund-raising body, Friends of Sinn Fein. Fine Gael got £63,528, the Green Party £13,080, the Socialist Party £12,000, Labour £10,000 and the Progressive Democrats £5,000.
The largest single donor apart from Friends of Sinn Fein was Irish Life, which gave £75,000, spread proportionately among the largest four parties.
According to Fianna Fail, of the £432,501 it received in donations, £379,000 was given specifically to fund the campaign to promote the Belfast Agreement in advance of last May's referendum.
The largest donors to the party's referendum campaign were Mr Naughton, who gave £50,000, and O'Callaghan Hotels, the company of the property developer Mr Noel O'Callaghan, which gave the same amount.
Builders and property developers feature prominently among the others. For example, Hardwicke Ltd, led by Mr Mark Kavanagh, which together with British Land developed virtually all of the International Financial Services Centre, gave £20,000 and a further £150 for participation in a golf classic.
Donors to Fine Gael include Mr Goulandris, who gave £10,516, and Waterford Crystal, which gave £15,000. The Smurfit Packaging Corporation gave the party £7,011.15. The uneven figures arise in the cases of donations paid in US dollars.
Mr Caoimhghin O Caolain was the most generous of politicians to his party in 1998, according to the figures. He gave £24,270, which Sinn Fein assured the commission was a personal donation.
Mr Joe Higgins gave £12,000 to his Socialist Party in monthly subscriptions of £1,000 each. The Green Party's two MEPs, Ms Patricia McKenna and Ms Nuala Ahern, gave £6,540 each to their party.
The Director of Public Prosecutions decided not to prosecute Fine Gael's national agent last year, despite the party spending £2,047.12 more than the £20,000 limit on the Limerick East by-election campaign. The commission's report states this amount was deducted from the Exchequer payment to Fine Gael for 1998.