Celts have red-hot sex life

A new survey from Durex to launch National Condom Week today has revealed that 34 per cent of Irish people have called in sick to work for a bit of 'the other'.

According to the survey which queried 1016 respondents, Irish people favour women on top and doggy style positions, while the IT age has made its way into bedrooms too in the form of kinky gadgets.

There is good news for phone companies too as one in four are no stranger to phone sex, with 16 per cent saying they have texted a naked picture of themselves to someone.

One in ten Irish people have also admitted to bedding a new lover after only an hour or meeting them, while one in five have confessed to getting into the sack with someone new after knowing them for less than two hours.

The survey also reveals that 38 per cent of Irish people have discussed fantasies with their partner, 22 per cent have taken food into the bedroom, one in five have done a strip tease for their partner and 19 per cent have engaged in role play.

Gone are the days when we threw a handkerchief over the statue of the Virgin Mary’s face when the saucy Levi’s advert came on.

The Irish Durex National Condom Week runs from Monday 24 to 30 October and is an annual initiative aimed at promoting safer sex and encouraging the country to use condoms.

Dublin Aids Alliance has joined up with Durex to distribute 20,000 condoms and educational cards throughout Ireland.

Only seven per cent of people surveyed said they regularly have checks for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

According to respondents, 16 per cent of them are most afraid of contracting HIV, over other STIs, such as chlamydia (13 per cent), genital herpes and warts (11 per cent) and gonorrhoea (10 per cent).

Miriam Abel, Brand Manager at Durex says: “It is fantastic to see 53 percent of people always use a condom, but also concerning that only seven percent get regular STI checks. Carrying a condom can quite literally be lifesaving and should be as commonplace as picking up your keys or your wallet,” she said.