On Father’s Day, you do not have to break the bank to delight him

From a bottle of wine to a pledge to bring Dad out for lunch, it’s the little things, writes one father

Next Sunday is Father’s Day. And Irish mothers are planning to spend over €22m – or an average of €68 per gift – according to a survey by Mummypages.ie. So what pressies should you get for dear old Dad? The website has come up with the most popular – and least popular – items. In are wine, whiskey, sports gear, aftershave, gadgets and personalised gifts like photos. Out are socks, ties, shirts, wallets cufflinks and power tools, according to the survey of mums.

We have also done a snap survey of hardworking dads to see what they would really like to receive, assuming their dutiful offspring have decided to club together to get a gift worth €50-€100.

But it doesn’t have to cost even that much. Laura Erskine, head of community at mummypages.ie, said: ‘Every parent will cherish a personalised gift, whether it is handmade or one that captures a special family moment.

‘One dad in our survey just asked for the smartphones to be switched off for a while!

‘I think that’s probably a fair reflection of how with Dad still typically the main breadwinner in the house,’ says Ms Erskine. ‘He misses out on some of the special family moments that many more mums would enjoy. The weekends are usually spent catching up on household chores, attending kids’ sports sessions and birthday parties.’

After their kids leave home, dads are often left out. What fathers really treasure, especially if their offspring have moved out, is quality time with their children – a lunch, dinner or trip to the movies.

While they may see their kids at family outings, I suspect dads may not be as adept as mums at making social arrangements or having long chats on the phone and so they miss out. They would be delighted with a coffee/lunch/dinner date with an older offspring.

If you do buy something low cost like a small picture frame, make sure to put a picture in it. I also like personalised photo gifts, which cost from €9.99 (with FujiFilm for example – though this can be done in lots of places). You can get a family picture printed onto a block – or even a mug or mousepad – for Dad’s desk.

Mummypages’ survey of the least popular pressies shows socks are no longer the old standby (thankfully). But I would take issue with the last two on their list – cuff links and power tools. As with everything else, power tools may suit – just make sure it’s one he wants or needs. I would love Aldi’s tiger saw (see right), for example, which cuts through anything. And depending on the dad and the state of his cufflink supply, he may appreciate a spare set. As with all presents, the research and thought that goes into picking the present is the important thing. All the supermarkets have decent gifts, but Aldi and Lidl centre isles are dad-magnets and they have come up with some good ideas. With Lidl’s vinyl records, by the way, you can’t go wrong with Bob Marley’s Legend.

But you don’t have to go with the items selected specially for the occasion of Father’s Day.

Use your imagination. There are plenty of good wines, whiskeys, toiletries, etc, with all the supermarkets. Tesco is strong on Scotch (Glenlivet and Glenmorangie would be my favourite tipples; for Irish whiskey, Bushmills or Redbreast are popular).

I also like Dunnes Stores’s Paul Costello range, which has a quality feel, and clothes that dads might squeeze into and actually wear.

Younger generations might give their dads the benefit of their techy know-how with the gift of a drone. Myself, I wouldn’t mind getting a smartphone cover that includes a wallet, which seems like the way to go. Why carry both?

But whatever you get, put a little thought into it – and really make their day.