ARAN sweaters, cut glass and sides of smoked salmon have their place but not in the suit cases of visitors with both money and imagination. Here are 10 suggestions some, admittedly, aimed at millionaires, the rest at ordinary mortals for stylish, shamrock free souvenirs.
1. THE WRITE STUFF
Not just any old antiquarian book, but the hook the masterpiece that encapsulates and celebrates Dublin better than any other. James Joyce's Ulysses you can buy in any book shop (Penguin paperback £6.99, Everyman hardback £9.99), but gold Amex card holders may be tempted by a limited edition from 1935, signed by both Joyce and the illustrator, one Henri Matisse.
What makes it all the more appealing is the fact that Joyce signed only about 250 copies from the total of 1,500, discovering at that point that Matisse had based his line drawings on the Greek classic, rather than his own somewhat different version.
The price is too staggering to mention in cold print but expect to pay several thousand. A little easier on the pocket, at £2,950, would be a signed copy of the limited edition horoscope (Paris, 1930), Samuel Beckett's first published work. Both from Cathach Books, to Duke Street, Dublin 2.
2. THE FLAVOUR OF THE COUNTRY
Take back one of the most exciting aspects of Ireland's food revolution a farmhouse cheese. A semi soft cheese like Durrus or a young Cashel Blue will easily survive the journey to Britain or continental Europe about £10-£12 for a whole one weighing just over 3 lb. Long haul travellers would be wiser to choose a harder type such as Killorglin or Coolea £12 for a 5 lb cheese. And if you're going by car, you can stash a dinner plate sized wheel of delicious Doolin in the boot about £70 for 24 lb, which, gluttony permitting, should last a year. All from the Big Cheese Co, Andrew's Lane, Dublin 2.
3. IRISH GEORGIAN SILVER
You might imagine that only those born with a silver spoon in their mouth might afford to buy one made in Irish silversmithing's most prodigiously talented era. In fact, you can buy a silver teaspoon from 1810 for just £25. A pair of Georgian silver serving spoons perfect for dishing «MDBO»u«MDNM»p the Irish stew at home, are from £150 and, should you feel these too paltry or have a great pile of punts left over, there is the option of an antique Irish dish ring made in Dublin circa 1768 by John Lloyd for £5,500. All from The Silver Shop, Powerscourt Townhouse Centre.
4. SOMETHING FOR A RAINY DAY
If it's made to withstand Irish weather it will work in most parts of the wind and rain swept world besides keeping you snug while you are here. Buy a fall length waxed coat with leather or cord collar from the Country range recently launched by Irish fashion designer Michael Mortel and stand out from the Barbour besotted crowd. From the Kilkenny Shop or Blarney Woollen Mills in brown, green, navy or black, £209.
5. THE MOST SOOTHING MUSIC
No, not the relentlessly versatile Chieftain virtuosos, and certainly not the mighty U2. We are talking here about pure, gentle, spiritually uplifting and extraordinarily haunting Gregorian chant. Vox de Nube is the title of the latest GaelLinn CD on which the angel voiced Noirin ni Riain sings with the monks of Glenstal Abbey in Co Limerick £12.99 from HMV, 65 Grafton Street and other branches. (Look under the Irish, not the classical section.)
6. THE DOG DAYS OF SUMMER?
And beyond ... Buy the country's finest canine representative, an Irish wolf hound but only if you have acres of wide open space and the cash to fund a luxury, high protein, high calcium diet in the vital formative months. (After that, it gets easier a full grown wolf hound eats no more than a Labrador.)
Depending on whether you want a dog of show quality or Just a pet, pups cost from £250 to £500, and as there are no quarantine restrictions on animals leaving Ireland, you can take one home with you. The Irish Kennel Club will put prospective buyers in touch with members of the Irish Wolfound Association. Tel: 01 453 3300.
7. IRELAND THROUGH THE LETTERBOX, THROUGH THE YEAR
A memory refresher, a source of insight and all the inspiration you need to plan your next trip.
The most sumptuous magazine about Ireland is unquestionably the quarterly World of Hibernia, published in New York by Irish magazine entrepreneur Kevin Kelly. Although it has a clear Irish American orientation, the editorial mix is broad enough to appeal to all Hibernophiles and the photographs glorious enough to sell a million air tickets.
Subscription costs $50 annually for US readers £32 this side of the pond, from The World of Hibernia Subscriptions Dept PO Box 10528, Riverton, NJ 08076-0528.
8. SITTING PRETTY
The sort of picnics we had as children are back in fashion, as is obvious from this summer's outbreak of old fashioned picnic hampers. The other essential element is an old fashioned picnic rug. Foxford Woollen Mills in Co Mayo, established in 1892, is once again producing classics in pure Irish wool, with rolled fringes top and bottom, in tartans or soft shadow checks reflecting the colours of the countryside. About £40 from Clerys, Arnotts, Roches Stores, Blarney Woollen Mills, Ryans of Galway, many craft shops or the Foxford shops in Westport or Foxford itself.
9. HOLIDAY PICTURES
Unless you're Richard Avedon, an original print will look more inspiring on the bedroom wall than those photographs you've taken. One rich source is the Graphic Studio Gallery, where there are especially fetching etchings of Wicklow scenes, fruit, flowers and other tranquil subjects by gallery founder Patrick Hickey, one of Ireland's most distinguished print makers, for £100- £200. Allow plenty of browsing time the work of more than 200 other artists awaits you, with prices from £40 to £3,000. 8a Cope Street, Dublin 2.
10. BRINGING IT ALL BACK HOME
Why leave the country laden with misshapen suitcases and a flotilla of carrier bags when all the purchases could be neatly accommodated in a robust and handsome Irish leather travel bag? The large weekend tote, made by Chesneau Leather in Co Kilkenny, is the most practical, long life souvenir any traveller could buy. If it's not too full it can fit in the overhead locker on flight when packed to capacity it's tough enough to travel in the hold time and again £437 from Weirs, Brown Thomas, Kilkenny Shop or the Chesneau factory shop in Bennettsbridge.
