An estimated 40,000 households across the State could be left in the dark on New Year's Eve because An Post has not delivered their millennium candles.
The database used by An Post to deliver the candles was drawn up using the electoral register as it stood in February. As a result, most of the 46,000 homes built this year are excluded and will not have a candle delivered.
Irish people who are not on the electoral register, as well as non-nationals who are not entitled to register, will also lose out.
A spokeswoman for An Post said a candle had been produced for every household in the State and householders who had not had one delivered to their homes could collect it by presenting identification at their local An Post delivery office. The same applied to householders who were out when An Post called with their candle and who received a card notifying them of this.
"The vast bulk of the deliveries were made by last week," said the spokeswoman. The operation has taken more than four weeks.