Things to get your Dad for Father’s Day that he actually will like
Words: Emily Mullen
Ahead of Sunday, June 20th, we’ve collected a list of some things that your Dad might actually want on Dad day
Marketers have a lot to answer for when it comes to Father’s Day, pushing gifts that relate only to a formulaic kind of Dad. Forcing adult children to buy for a man who loves his BBQ more than his offspring, drinks beer out of novelty-sized glasses and would prefer to swing a golf stick more than hug his wife. Very few people have Dad’s like that, and if they do, they are well catered for anyway. The fact is, that there are many different types of Dads, ones that have no need for branded meat skewers, whiskey cubes and Jack Daniels flavoured socks. Here is a list of things that your Dad might actually like for Father’s Day:
A cookbook
Once you overcome the initial joke of “are you sure this is for me and not for your mother? ha ha ha” a cookbook is a good Father’s Day gift. Never underestimate how much dad’s love flicking through a cookbook, even if they never cook anything from it, they just enjoy the process of baulking at how many spices go into a Yotam Ottolenghi dish. Rory O’Connell’s Cook Well, Eat Well, James Kavanagh and William Murray The Currabinny Cookbook, Donal Skehan’s Meals in Minutes are all good shouts, failing that anything with Nigella on the front will work.
The Sweater Shop’s slippers
Made famous by James Kavanagh, these Merino Wool Slippers are a great gift for your Dad. Made with a novelty-sized amount of wool, the slippers are great for any father to go shuffling around the house in. It might be a bit of a clap-out gift idea to get your Dad slippers, but let’s face it no one else will buy them for him and his old ones are absolutely stinking. These slippers come in a variety of colours and are unisex so you can stock pile some ahead of Mother’s Day. They are currently on sale at €22.90, but check the Sweater Shop’s website for updates.
Carafe from Indigo and Cloth
What better way for your Dad to enjoy the wine that he’s been banging on about for weeks then giving him a carafe to display it in. He will also be able to extoll the virtues of allowing the wine to breathe before drinking, which the carafe facilitates. This particular carafe is handblown by the uber-cool HAY label, so your dad can relive all those scandi noir dramas through the glass. Stocked in Indigo and Cloth and priced at €30.00, for more information visit their website.
A New Yorker Subscription
Dad’s love a good read, they love to lay out the paper while they are ladling marmalade onto their toast on weekend mornings. Why not contribute to this happiness and get your Dad a New Yorker Subscription. Which can arrive each week, much to your Dad’s delight and surprise. There’s currently a subscription sale on for 12$ you can get your Dad the print edition delivered each week, access to the newyorker.com which includes crossword puzzles (win, win), visit the New Yorker website for T&Cs.
Boombox from Rascals
Rascals have come up with their own special Father’s Day gift, the Boombox. The retro branding is sure to bring your Dad right back to his heyday, inside there are four Rascals beers (Wunderbar IPA, Happy Days Pale Ale, Yankee White IPA and Jailbreak Helles Lager) which also includes 30+ playlists. There’s nationwide delivery on Rascals products, or you can pick them up in their HQ in Inchicore. For more information visit the Rascals website for more information.
Brewbox Coffee Subscription
Give your dad the gift finally getting something delivered to him, in the form of a Brewbox Coffee Subscription. Brewbox is delivered by An Post, so your Dad can have a right laugh with the postman about how he is getting delivery for once. Brewbox curates boxes of coffees from different Irish and international coffee roasters for customers depending on their preference, this is a great way to get your Dad off the coffee he’s been drinking for the past four years but gives out about every time he drinks it. A three-month subscription from Brewbox comes in at around €48, visit their website for more information.
Scarf from McNutt
One of the main facts of life is that Dads love scarves. They feel the cold a little more, they think they are whimsical and jazzy, they just like them. No walk is complete without your Dad looping a scarf around the collar of his padded jacket. McNutts of Donegal do a lovely light scarf, perfect for whirling around the neck, and are in a range of very Dad-friendly colours. McNutt scarves start from €39.50, you can order them from the website or find them in local retailers.
Sheridan’s Cheese Club
We could be conflating fathers with Gromit from Wallace and Gromit, but they both love cheese don’t they? Either way who wouldn’t love a lovely box of cheese through your door. Dad’s of all types love making toasted cheese sandwiches for everyone and eating too much cheese, so this is a great way to facilitate that happiness is by buying them the Sheridan’s Cheese Club. Each month’s cheese box is selected by Kevin Sheridan and has at least 200g of each cheese, which is the dedication to the quantity that Dad’s love. Priced at €45 for a once-off cheese delivery, you can pick a range of deliveries, for more information visit Sheridan’s website.
Aesop’s Post-Poo Drops
Funny and practical, Aesop’s post-poo drops are intended to be used after vigorous bathroom activity has occurred. The formulation of essential oils combines a powerful aroma with disinfecting and anti-bacterial properties and help to neutralise disagreeable smells. Encourage your father to drop several drops of this carefully crafted product in the toilet bowl after flushing, which improves the bathroom aroma for all subsequent visitors. Truly this is a gift for all the family. You can find Aesop’s post-poo drops in Brown Thomas for €25.00 or directly from the Aesop website.
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