Irish people are the third most generous in Europe

released 29/9/2013 Shine A Light Collections Focus Ireland. Kathryn Thomas teamed up with Focus Ireland for an urgent appeal for 600 volunteers for the charity's Shine A Light Collections to be held between October 18th- 20th. People can sign up and play their part to help end homelessness by calling 01 881 59 00, email [email protected] or at www.facebook.com/focusirelandcharity. Photo: Photocall Ireland

IRISH people are among the most generous in the world, new statistics have revealed.

A worldwide survey into the world’s most generous countries places Ireland ninth in the world and third in Europe.

Generosity is measured by the proportion of people who give to charity, who volunteer their time and who helped a stranger in the past month.

The Charities Aid Foundation (CAF) survey found that the most geneorous country in the world is Myanmar (formerly known as Burma), followed by the US and New Zealand.