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If anyone is still reading this, I can now report that I have got some more information, after negotiating with the Irish Post Office through Twitter. I was told that the parcels were returned undelivered because the recipients were asked to pay customs duty, and did not pay. I then said surely if it is a gift they should not have to pay. I was told that yes anything stated as a gift and valued as under 45 Euros inc postage should not attract duty. My item was well below this value. But apparently even though I wrote 'gift' on the customs declaration sticker, the post office worker completing an online form on her computer classified the parcel as 'other' and therefore the electronic systems immediately triggered a charge. Once a charge has been requested there is always a long delay in case the recipient wishes to pay, before the decision is made to return the item to the sender. I *may* now have the courage to try sending another parcel to Ireland....
Spain have a habit of doing that as well. We have had stop sending stuff to our daughter as regardless of declared cost they always ask for duty.
