Gift Guide: What To Buy Your Dad

So you’ve drawn your names from the family Kris Kindle and, unlucky for you, you’re now faced with one of the most difficult people to buy a present for: your dad. Whether he’s a tech enthusiast (ours aren’t, they can barely cope with texting), an outdoor adventurer, or even a bit of a couch potato, our selection of dad worthy gifts below might help.

1. The gift of a hot towel shave works for all dads, unless of course he’s more attached to his beard than he is to his offspring. Though it might never occur to him to get one for himself, once he sits down in the chair to be massaged, pampered and shaved to perfection, he’ll want one for his birthday and Father’s Day too. The Grafton Barber do a great ‘Royal Open Razor Shave for €40.

2. If your father’s one of those practical types, with an appreciation for the more luxurious things in life, then the gift of a genuine, Italian leather travel bag will do the trick. This one’s from M&S and costs €270. An investment that’ll see him through all that retirement travel.

3. We have (we hope) entered an era wherein the man of the house now plays an equal part in the various daily chores. Perhaps your dad’s one of those brilliant dads who’s at his most relaxed when he’s in the kitchen cooking up a storm. If so, a stylish set of utensils from one of our favourites, Joseph Joseph will have him dicing and slicing like Jamie Oliver in no time.

4. For the avid coffee fan, a slick coffee maker is one of the best housey gifts your money can buy. Your dad deserves so much more than instant coffee, he’s worth it (and so is George Clooney, apparently). Nothing beats a Nespresso machine and their Pixie range will set you back €149.

5. For the stylish father, a designer watch is a must. While a Rolex might be a bit of a stretch on your pay packet, Hamilton at Arnotts offer a fantastic range of watches at prices that won’t give you heart failure. We quite like the simplicity and elegance of this one, €500.

6. If like ours, your dad enjoys sitting down to a smooth, tasty whiskey, than a bottle of Ireland’s finest makes for the pefect stocking filler, especially if you go for something with a decent vintage. Jameson is without a doubt the best in Irish whiskeys, but if it’s something more, well, exotic you’re after, a Scottish option like Glenfiddich’s Single Malt is a worthy choice.

Jameson Gold Reserve €87

Glenfiddich, prices vary, available at most supermarkets.

7. Here’s hoping your father no longer douses himself in Old Spice, but just in case, let’s bring him into the 21st century with a little luxury, courtesy of Tom Ford. Noir remains one of his most popular scents, and one of our favourites. €75.

8. So your dad’s a sports fanatic and if he’s not right there in the midst of the action, he’s cursing at the TV. If he’s a rugby fan but failed to nab tickets to the Rugby World Cup in September 2015, London, general tickets will go back on sale on November 28th at noon. https://tickets.rugbyworldcup.com/. If soccer is more his thing, you can suss out the season tickets over at the FAI.

9. For dads that refuse to embrace the digital world and remain loyal to their good old fashioned paper books, this one’s a real treat. Especially if your dad’s a history fan. Man?on the Bridge is a multi-platform?photo collection project that tells the story and celebrates the photos of legendary Dublin street photographer Arthur Fields who took photos on O’Connell Bridge?in Dublin for over fifty years from the 1930s to the 80s. It is estimated that he?took 200,000 photos during this time and in doing so captured a changing Dublin and its people. www.manonbridge.ie. €25 in most good book shops.

10. However, for the digital enthusiasts among the dads of Ireland, a tablet will surely rock his world. No longer does he need the paper to sift through the TV listings, he can do it all via is nifty little tab that also doubles as a laptop. They can cost quite a bit, but this one from HP costs €349.

Or there’s the brilliant Samsung Galaxy Tab 4 available at various prices on amazon.com

For more choice and cheaper stocking fillers, check out our gallery of options above.

@CarolineForan