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Image / Editorial

Gift Guide: Father’s Day


By IMAGE
18th Jun 2015
Gift Guide: Father’s Day

It’s almost time to show your appreciation for the longest standing man in your life, your daddy. Before your social media feeds are packed to the gills with ‘me and my ah-may-zing dad’ posts, you’ll be needing something sweet with which to gift him. Below, we round up some Father’s Day inspiration, ensuring you’re good to go come June 21st.

Photobox. From Christmas to birthdays to something like this, you can never go wrong with a personal present from Photobox. Recently, we had a visit from Photobox and illustrator extraordinaire Conor Merriman who was kind enough to recreate imagery of us and our dads in super cool cartoon form. Get creative with your dad pics over at Photobox.ie, where you can choose anything from a photo book to a large wall canvas, a personalised mug and so much more. For something that he’ll treasure forever (or at least your mother will) and won’t cost you a pretty penny, you need look no further.

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If you’re sticking to a budget of under €20,?Bookspeed How to Avoid a Lightning Strike, €15.95 available at Kilkenny Design is one of those gifts that you think is funny but your dad will genuinely enjoy, proceeding to share his newly learned quirky facts at every opportunity. He’ll be prepped for all scenarios with this.

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Dads love a bit of Marks and Sparks. What’s more, no father is complete without a decent leather wash bag for their dad travels. If you’re dad fancies himself a jet setter, this Collezione Classic Eau de Toilette Wash Bag Gift is just €22. Practical presents ahoy!

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If you’re willing to splash the cash, and your dad is one of those 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 €175. An investment that’ll see him through all that retirement travel.

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Dinner is always a winner. Especially when it involves Cote de Boeuf. One of our favourite spots, Balfes, has a dad-worthy special running from today right through to Sunday, Father’s Day. Expertly created by executive chef Cathal Dunne, Balfes 30oz C?te de Boeuf is served with delicately sweet caramelised onion, grilled flatcap mushrooms and finished with a green salad. Dry aged for 20 days,?c?te de boeuf is a highly flavoursome cut as it comes from a well-used muscle and has plenty of delicious fat marbling throughout, is perfectly matched to the summer seasonal eating and sourced from renowned local producer (Hicks?Farm, Maurice?Kettyle).?It is accompanied by a choice of b?arnaise or pepper sauce and home-cut chips or lyonnaise potatoes.?Balfes expert mixologist and head bartender?Naiko’recommends?finishing the experience by?pairing the meal with a pint of Guinness or a glass of C?te de Ventoux for an added??5.What better thing to share with you dad than a marvellous steak?

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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If like ours, your dad enjoys sitting down to a smooth, tasty whiskey, than a bottle of Ireland’s finest makes for the pefect Father’s Day gift, 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.

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Jameson Gold Reserve €87

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Glenfiddich, prices vary, available at most supermarkets.

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.

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Though they might not like to admit their penchant for cosy pyjamas, (apparently ‘real’ men sleep in their undies), once they slip into a pair of comfy flannel PJs, there’s no getting them out of them.?Topman have a great selection of stylish, comfortable options this season. Starting from 20 quid.

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For he who fancies himself a ringer for Ryan Gosling, a pair of aviator Ray Bans will never go unwanted. Suiting almost every face shape, these are the?go to’designer shades as far as we’re concerned. €148 Brown Thomas.

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There’s a whole world of gifting options for men on?Firebox.com. The iKettle caught our eye in particular. With it, you can ?boil your kettle with your smart phone, anywhere in your home. It apparently welcomes you home by asking if you’d like to pop the kettle on. What’s not to like? €127.09

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For a gift that’s both useful and slick, here’s a wallet-come-phone charger. €95.29. All details here, on what’s fast becoming our favourite gift site,?firebox.com

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Tablets are one of those devices that almost every parent has – but just how useful are they? Great?for Netflix and the occasional Skype, but one cannot live on two apps alone. This is why the Microsoft Surface 3?is something of a relief: a tablet that actually functions as an organisational and recreational’resource. With the Surface 3 you’ve got all the usual apps with the Office suite running perfectly, as?well as a pretty seamless One Note experiences, meaning this is the perfect gift for a dad who wants?to get some serious stuff down as well as getting a few seasons of whatever the It show is this year – hint: we’re talking?Daredevil.

Family

Has your dad been sending you texts off an old school burn Nokia ever since he dropped that smartphone a few months? Invest in the latest Samsung Galaxy S6 so you two folks can instant message to?your heart’s content. We’ve been using the Galaxy S6 for the past few months and it’s become one?of those devices you feel smug about owning. Why this phone over the others currently on the’market? Well, it’s got a super-fast charging capabilities meaning last minute dashes aren’t fraught?with black screen fear and the camera quality is the best we’ve seen. The screen is perfect for?watching videos and surfing the web and the memory is way larger than most phones. An ideal gift?for a techy dad or one fancies himself as having something of an artistic eye.

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This is?genius. For the whiskey drinker in your life who likes to?kep?it chilled without having their beverage diluted, these whiskey blocks are perfect. €19.09, Firebox.com

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This is all kinds of class. It costs €317.69?but?here’s why it’s worth it. Firebox.com.

As any parent can probably testify, keeping track of absolutely everything your kids (let alone you) are doing, can sometimes feel like a slippery?up-hill’struggle.?Mother is here to change all that; providing you with all of the knowledge and?comfort?you need, when and how you want it. She’s your family’s very own fitness tracker, stats keeper, security system and life coach all rolled into one glorious Russian doll-shaped package – it’s like someone has physically crammed Mary Poppins in there.

Mother comes with 4 cookies; you can think of them as her eyes and ears (and gentle, but necessary nagging). Small and’slickly-designed, these little sensors?blend in seamlessly with your lifestyle and can be affixed to just about anything – person, object or animal! They capture and analyse movement so they can recognise the specific actions you want to monitor and transmit them back to Mother. Temperature changes are also measured, as well as their proximity to the hub itself (herself).

Here’s just a snapshot of the different ways you could use them:

  • Remembering to drink more water
  • Seeing how many steps you take in a day
  • Protecting your home from intruders
  • Visualising just how well you sleep at night
  • Knowing that your child has got home safe
  • Reminding Gran to take her medicine
  • Ensuring your baby’s environment is the right temperature
  • Turning teeth-brushing into a family game

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For the wine and gadget enthusiast, this essential set from Le Creuset gets our vote, €115?Brown Thomas.

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Jawbone are earning themselves a stellar reputation as the?go to?brand for excellent speakers. For Father’s Day, we reckon the Mini Jambox, small enough to travel with you yet powerful enough not to compromise on sound, this will cost you €119 at?pixmania.ie

Screen_shot_2014-12-04_at_15.29.58Happy Fathers Day!

@CarolineForan