Buy Irish Gifts
Beautiful Irish Gift Ideas & Makers
Buying Irish is about more than finding something with a shamrock on the packaging.
Ireland is home to wonderful food producers, skincare brands, candle makers, designers, chocolatiers, writers and small businesses creating things that people genuinely want to receive.
So if you're looking for an Irish gift for a birthday, thank you, new home, Christmas or simply because, start with the person you're buying for.
What would they actually enjoy?
A new book and beautiful chocolate? Something lovely for their home? Irish skincare? A candle they'll light on a quiet evening? Or a hamper containing several smaller things to discover?
At The Book Resort, we're an Irish gifting business based in Waterford, and books, Irish chocolate and products from Irish brands and makers feature throughout our gift hampers.
What Are Good Irish Gifts?
Some of the best Irish gift ideas include:
Irish chocolate and confectionery
Books by Irish writers
Irish-made candles and home fragrance
Skincare and body products from Irish brands
Irish-designed stationery and notebooks
Socks, accessories and small lifestyle gifts
Food and treats from Irish producers
A gift hamper bringing several Irish products together
The best choice isn't necessarily the most obviously "Irish-looking" present.
Often it's simply a really good product made or designed by an Irish business.
Irish Chocolate Gifts
Chocolate is one of those gifts that works for almost every occasion.
Irish brands such as Butlers Chocolates have been part of celebrations, thank-yous and Christmas presents for generations, while smaller Irish producers give you even more choices when you're putting together a gift.
Chocolate also works particularly well inside a hamper because it gives the recipient something delicious to enjoy straight away while the other parts of the gift last longer.
At The Book Resort, books and chocolate have gone together since the very beginning.
It turns out a good novel and something nice to eat are excellent company.
Irish Skincare & Pampering Gifts
Ireland has some fantastic skincare and body-care brands.
We work with names including Kinvara Skincare, Dublin Herbalists, Jo Browne, The Handmade Soap Company and The Moher Soap Co, depending on the hamper and products available.
These are particularly lovely additions to birthday, get-well, thinking-of-you and gifts-for-her hampers because they're useful as well as enjoyable.
A hand cream, soap or body product doesn't have to sit untouched on a shelf waiting for a special occasion.
It's there to be used.
Irish Candles & Gifts for the Home
Candles and home fragrance make particularly good gifts when someone has just moved house, needs a little cheering up or simply loves making home feel cosy.
Irish brands such as La Bougie and The Irish Chandler are examples of the makers and brands you'll find across our range.
They're also easy gifts when you know someone well enough to know they love their home, but perhaps not well enough to buy them something very personal.
Irish Books Make Brilliant Gifts
We couldn't talk about Irish gifts without talking about books.
Ireland has an extraordinary literary tradition, but you don't need to buy someone a classic simply because it's Irish.
Contemporary Irish writers are producing some of the most enjoyable fiction around, and we regularly choose Irish authors for our gift hampers and book subscriptions when we find a book we genuinely think the recipient will enjoy.
That's the important part.
The book has to be good.
If you're buying for someone who loves reading, a book can also outlast almost everything else in the gift. Chocolate disappears. Hand cream gets used. Candles burn down.
A really good book can stay on a shelf for years.
Gifts from Irish Designers & Makers
Some gifts earn their place simply because they're beautifully made.
Across The Book Resort you'll find products from Irish businesses including Muckross Bookbinding, Polly & Andy, Hassetts Bakery, Inis and other makers and brands we enjoy working with.
You can see more of the businesses behind our hampers on our Brands We Choose page.
We'd much rather tell you who made something than make vague claims about "supporting local".
Those businesses are real, and so are the people behind them.
Why Buy an Irish Gift?
There are plenty of reasons.
You may want to support an Irish business.
You may be sending something to somebody who has moved away and misses home.
You might simply prefer knowing a little more about where the products in your gift came from.
Or perhaps you don't particularly care whether something is Irish — you just want a very good present, and an Irish maker happens to make the thing you like best.
That's fine too.
Buying Irish shouldn't mean compromising on the gift.
The product still has to earn its place.
Irish Gifts for Someone Living Abroad
Irish gifts can be especially meaningful for someone who has moved overseas.
A favourite chocolate, an Irish-made product or a book by an Irish author can provide a small connection with home without resorting to clichés.
If you're sending internationally, always check current shipping availability, costs and delivery times before ordering.
If the situation is the other way around — you live abroad and want to send a gift to someone at home in Ireland — you can order directly from an Irish company and have the gift delivered locally instead.
Read our guide to sending a gift to someone in Ireland when you live abroad.
Irish Gifts for Birthdays
For a birthday, we'd choose based on the recipient before thinking about the occasion.
For someone who reads constantly, make the book the star.
For somebody who loves an evening at home, combine a candle, treats and something lovely to use.
And for the person who is impossible to buy for, a hamper works well because you're giving them several smaller pleasures rather than betting everything on one present.
You can browse our Birthday Gifts for more ideas.
Irish Christmas Gifts
Christmas is one of the loveliest times to buy from Irish businesses because there is such a variety available — food, books, candles, skincare, accessories and gifts for the home.
If you're sending a gift rather than handing it over yourself, ordering from an Irish gifting business also means we can prepare it, add your message and send it directly to the recipient.
Browse our Christmas Gifts when our festive range is available.
Can I Send an Irish Gift Directly to Someone?
Yes.
When ordering from The Book Resort, enter the recipient's address as the shipping address and add the message you'd like included.
We'll handwrite your message on a card and place it inside the hamper.
We don't include pricing or a receipt inside the gift, so it can be sent directly to them.
Orders placed before 3pm Monday to Friday are usually dispatched from Waterford that same working day. Orders after 3pm, at weekends or on bank holidays are normally dispatched the next working day.
Once dispatched, delivery within the Republic of Ireland normally takes 1–2 working days and is tracked.
Choosing an Irish Gift They'll Actually Love
The words Irish gift cover an enormous range of things.
The trick is not to start with Ireland.
Start with them.
What do they enjoy? What would make them smile when they open the parcel? What might they use that evening, read that weekend or still have months later?
Then look for Irish businesses making those things really well.
That's how we choose products for The Book Resort too.
The gift they'll remember long after it's opened.
You can browse all of our gift hampers or discover more of the Irish businesses we work with on our Brands We Choose page.
Frequently Asked Questions
What are good Irish gifts to send someone?
Irish chocolate, books, candles, skincare, food, stationery and gift hampers are all good choices. Start with the recipient's interests and then look for an Irish maker or brand producing something they'll genuinely enjoy.
What is a good Irish gift for someone abroad?
Food they miss from home, a book by an Irish author, Irish chocolate, skincare, home fragrance or a hamper combining several Irish products can all work well. Check current international shipping restrictions before sending food or other restricted items.
Are The Book Resort gift hampers made in Ireland?
The Book Resort is based in Waterford, where our hampers are prepared and packed. We include products from a range of Irish brands and makers alongside the books and other gifts selected for each hamper.
Can I send an Irish gift directly to somebody in Ireland?
Yes. Enter the recipient's address when ordering and we can send the hamper directly to them. You can also include a personal message, which we'll handwrite on a card.
Where can I find gifts from Irish brands?
Our Brands We Choose page introduces many of the Irish businesses whose products feature across The Book Resort.