From mountain biking in Ballyhoura, ballooning in Meath and diving in Mayo to heading off on a wine-tasting tour in France, SANDRA O'CONNELLrounds up some of the best outings for deserving fathers
IT TURNS out that Father’s Day has a mother. An American woman named Louise Smart Dodd came up with the idea in the early 1900s while listening to a Mother’s Day sermon in church. Having seen her father, a widower, raise six children single-handedly, she decided he should be celebrated, too. Which is how fathers everywhere came to be lauded on the third Sunday of June in an event recognised in more than 30 countries. And you thought it was invented by Hallmark. This year Father’s Day falls on June 21st, and rather than falling back on hoary old reliables, such as slippers or spirits, why not send him off somewhere great? Better still, go with him. If you’re very good he might let you sit in the front.
1Spa softie By and large, dads are too old to be metrosexuals, to the point that they'd probably be offended if you suggested it. Press on regardless, however, in an effort to buff up his beauty at a Father's Day spa weekend at Westport Woods Hotel, in Co Mayo. Running from next Friday to tomorrow week, the deal of two nights' BB plus one evening meal costs €209 per person sharing. The price includes a seaweed bath, French facial or luxury pedicure for each of you. Obviously, there isn't a hope in hell he's going to do any of those, but you might just get him to sit still for a Swedish massage – it sounds vaguely athletic.
Westport Woods Hotel, Quay Road, Westport, Co Mayo, 098-25811, www.westportwoodshotel.com
2Golfing goodies You're back on much firmer territory with a round of golf, and Mount Juliet Golf Spa Hotel, in Co Kilkenny, can deliver Dad a Father's Day gift voucher by post or, with less pomp and more speed, by e-mail. A €150 voucher will entitle him to a round on the estate's 18-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed course at any time during the year. Or, for the same price, get a voucher from the hotel that entitles him to play a round on the championship courses at Mount Juliet, Waterford Castle and Faithlegg Hotel – though presumably not all on the one day. Alternatively, and for the same price, give Dad a nine-hole golf lesson with Mount Juliet's pro – unless he'll think you're saying he needs one.
Mount Juliet Golf Spa Hotel, Thomastown, Co Kilkenny, 056-7773000, www.mountjuliet.ie
3The big breakfast Alternatively, and because fathers golf on their stomachs, what better way to start a day's play than with one of Rathsallagh House's award-winning breakfasts? The Co Wicklow hotel, a four-time winner of the National Breakfast Award, will then have him work it off (as if) around its 18-hole championship course. Food, exercise and a day of fatherly bliss, all for €65 per person? Maybe you should set up a four ball.
Rathsallagh House, Dunlavin, Co Wicklow, 045-403112, www.rathsallaghhousehotel.com
4Dads can dive If he's a more adventurous sort, book him a Discover Scuba experience at Scubadive West, in Connemara. A full-day package, it includes two dives that give absolute beginners the chance to dive in a beautiful and safe cove. Even in shallow water there is plenty to see, including cuckoo wrasse, cuttlefish, lobsters and plaice. A fun day out with no exams or certificates to worry about, it costs €140, including dive-gear rental.
Scubadive West, Renvyle, Co Galway, 095-43922, www.scuba divewest.com
5Fishy fathers For such a remote place, Pontoon Bridge Hotel, in Co Mayo, is a hive of activity. From cookery classes to picture painting, all year round people swarm in, looking for both a break and betterment. One of the activities it is best known for is fly-fishing, and if you have a dad in search of a hobby – the best way to get through a recession – this could be it. The hotel is offering Irish Times readers a midweek deal, including a day's fishing tuition plus two nights' BB and one dinner, for €189.
Pontoon Bridge Hotel, Pontoon, Co Mayo, 094-9256120, www.pontoonbridge.com
6Walks with hawks Dads have to be adept in dealing with tough old birds (just kidding, Mum), so taking a 90-minute hawk walk through the beautiful grounds of Ashford Castle should be a cakewalk. Still, there's nothing to beat the thrill of seeing these magnificent raptors allowing you to provide them with a perch. At Ireland's School of Falconry, beside the hotel, €105 buys a private hawk walk with just Dad and a trainer, so no waiting for his turn.
Ireland’s School of Falconry, Ashford Castle, Cong, Co Mayo, 094-9546820, www.falconry.ie
7Trailblazing in Ballyhoura If you've a competitive dad, then knock this on the head, as he'll probably only injure himself trying to beat you in a race. If, on the other hand, he's relatively mature about it, and relatively fit, he might love the opportunity to whizz along the 90km of mountain-bike trails that have been laid down in the Ballyhoura Mountains, in vast expanses of Coillte forest. The pair of you simply turn up (booking ahead is advisable) and rent bikes and helmets for €40 each, giving you a whole day to get lost in the woods. Actually, you can't get lost, because it's very well signposted, but you'll have fun trying.
XCT1 Mountain Bikes, Kilfinane, Co Limerick, 087-2717330, www.xct1.com
8Grape escape Go one better than a bottle of wine this Father's Day with a three-day tour of Burgundy, sampling France's finest Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, plus, of course, appropriate cuisine. The Dijon-based weekend wine-tasting tour takes place from next Thursday until tomorrow week and includes two full-day guided visits to vineyards in Puligny-Montrachet, Aloxe- Corton and the Côte de Nuits region. The price includes three nights' BB, two vineyard lunches with grand-cru wines, and tasting tours of wine cellars. It costs £549 (about €630) per person sharing. If you can't make it that weekend, the same company runs two-night wine weekends in Champagne all year round, priced from £329 (€378).
Grape Escapes, High Street, Buntingford, Hertfordshire, England, 00-44-176-3273373, www.grapeescapes.net
9Chef de kitchen Working on the premise that the best way to a man's heart is through his stomach, Cooks Academy in Dublin is running a Father's Day cookery course tomorrow week, based on a theme not unlike that of the children's TV show Big Cook, Little Cook. Dad's apprentice gets to go, too, by which we don't mean mum.Father and child will work side by side to create a healthy three-course meal, before going home to perfect their technique all summer long – just as long as they clean up after themselves.The course runs from 10am until 4pm and costs €150.
Cooks Academy, Charlemont Terrace, Dún Laoghaire, Co Dublin, 01-2145002, www.cooks academy.com
10Up, up and away For something right out of this world, how about giving Dad a little lift with a ride in a hot-air balloon? Summer's coming and with it the opportunity for early-morning or late-evening balloon rides with Irish Balloon Flights. Take off from Trim Castle, in Co Meath, and survey the majestic scene below with an hour's flying time that can see you end up 25km away. Don't worry: they drive you back. All in all, from inflating the balloon to returning to your pick-up point, the experience takes about three spectacular hours. You could also extend that floating feeling with a night at Trim Castle Hotel afterwards. Midweek rooms cost from €69.
Irish Balloon Flights, Abbeyview, Trim, Co Meath, 046- 9483436, www.balloons.ie. Trim Castle Hotel, Castle Street, Trim, Co Meath, 046-9483000, www.trimcastlehotel.com