IRISH MEN WOULD be more likely to save their mobile phone from a house fire than an album of family photographs, a survey has found.

The poll carried out by AA Home Insurance asked more than 12,000 people which one item they would grab if their home was burning down. Just over 18 per cent of males would hang on to their ‘portable electronic device’ – such as a smartphone, laptop or tablet computer. Only 8.7 per cent would reach for a personal photograph, family album or home movie.

Women were much less bothered about their personal gadgets, with 17.5 per cent picking the family album against just 10.4 per cent for the mobile phone.

Overall, private paperwork topped the survey, with 35.7 per cent saying birth certificates and other legal documents would be their first priority. Some 22.6 per cent went for their wallet or handbag. Just over five per cent of women said they would grab an item of jewellery, while the figure for men was just 1.6 per cent.

In Donegal, 11 per cent of people said they would reach for cash stashed in the house before anything else. The equivalent figure in Dublin was just 5.1 per cent.