Looking for a unique Irish gift idea this Christmas? This will make a perfect stocking filler
by Jennifer McShane
01st Dec 2018
01st Dec 2018
This December, here at IMAGE we’re focusing less on gift guides and more about making memories with those we love. The things that will stand out in our minds long after the big day has come and gone. Be that as it may, we do know that finding the perfect gift for your nearest and dearest is one of the lovely elements of this time of year; we’re a nation known for its generosity, after all. And because we’re proud to support Irish, this little gem of a product ticks all the boxes. Not only is it local and hand-crafted, it’s also a gift that will ensure you make memories well into 2019.
The 50 Things To Do In Dublin jar is a unique city guide to Dublin; a homemade craft gift that contains fifty slips of paper with details on activities you can enjoy throughout the city.
How does it work?
What makes this guide to the city stand out is the element of surprise; whether you’re looking for a place to eat, drink, discover or learn about, just open the jar, pick a slip of paper, and let fate decide for you. It aims to teach you more about the city. With its quirky recommendations, it provides countless options for fun, interesting or tasty activities to do around the city, with 10 choices under separate headings of Outdoor, Pubs, Arts and Culture, History and Food. Perfect if you want to discover hidden gems in the city, have fun with a group of friends or family or give it to the newly-arrived friend anxious to know more about their surroundings. The jar illustration was designed by the incredibly talented Fatti Burke, so it also looks very nice perched on your shelf, or fittingly, underneath the Christmas tree.
The idea for this came from the mind of Dublin man Damien Kelly, who thought of the idea when he wanted to showcase the best of the city to his Parisian girlfriend, Elodie. Elodie Noël is co-founder and co-creator of the project. “She knew she liked Dublin, but she was reluctant to leave Paris, so a couple of years ago, I created a jar called ‘100 things to do in Ireland’ as a way to show her the fun things about the city,” he told IMAGE. “And that kickstarted the whole project.”
View this post on Instagram
“My friends and family would always comment on the jar, saying it was such a great idea, and how they’d love to get one it got us thinking if others would get the same enjoyment out of it that we did.”
When it came to creating a jar that would appeal to people, Damien explained that he decided to narrow it down to Dublin as a starting point and whittle the number of activities in half to add a more spontaneous element to it. “I quickly realised that if we left it at things to do in Ireland, you were less likely to do the activities on a whim, because what if you chose an activity that required you to get to a county that was two or three hours away? We wanted a product that people could get the fun out of straight away.”
He explained that himself and Elodie then took a whole summer to pick the 50 choices, which proved trickier than he first imagined. “Even at the very end, we were chopping and changing the different options,” he continued. “But then we reasoned that we can update the jar contents next year to include the spots that we had to leave out the first time around.” This is a product that has huge potential, and Damien explained that he’d be keen to do separate jars for different counties around Ireland, likely starting next with Cork and Galway for example or one that contained activities just for kids.
Each jar is completely handcrafted and homemade by Damien and Elodie, and it creates around 20 minutes to create each one. “Elodie and I get a printer, all the materials and we have to do each card. It’s very time consuming but very therapeutic as well. The next challenge will be to find a way to produce it on a larger scale.”
This gorgeous stocking filler is available to buy on fiftythingstodo.com or in retailers around the city. The jar is priced at €24.99 and is available at an introductory price of €19.99 for a limited time only.