Looking for a present that is a work of beauty and a small piece of history? How about a lovely brass 1850s compass in a leather case, or a first World War army telescope? These are among the many old instruments at Edward Butler Antiques (Bachelor's Walk, Dublin, tel: 873 0296).
Prices start at £300, though a large telescope made in 1850, complete with wooden case and tripod, will set you back £3,000. Dublin's Georges Street arcade is a fertile hunting ground for more affordable collectables. Bygone Days (tel: 086 321 0740) often has old copper mining tokens, such as the coins issued by Cronebane mine in Avoca, which were used as currency in the 1780s. Prices start at about £5.
Antiquarian shops are a good source of old maps and botanical and zoological prints. Old prints also feature in Whytes' forthcoming auction of affordable art (December 17th in Dublin's Gresham Hotel. For viewing, call: 874 6161).
For the eco-minded you could treat someone to a plot of land, and do us all a favour. The Irish Peatland Conservation Council sells symbolic shares in Irish bogs, and prices start at £35 for one-sixteenth of an acre, surely the best value in Irish property these days. The IPCC (119 Capel Street, Dublin, tel: 872 2384. www.ipcc.ie) also sells environment-friendly products and presents, likewise ECOS, the excellent new ecology centre in Ballymena, Co Antrim (tel: 048 2566 4400).
Fossils, gems and minerals make attractive and unusual paperweights, worry stones, even jewellery. At Liscannor Stone in Co Clare (tel: 065 708 1930) prices range from 30p, up to £1,000 for a beautiful fossil fish. Yellow Brick Road (Bachelor's Walk, Dublin. Tel: 873 0177) sells various bits of fossils and crystals, but for jewellery with a geological emphasis, try Lapis on Nassau Street (tel: 679 5462).
Want something more high-tech? Visuals (Liffey Street, Dublin. Tel: 873 0802) has lightning or plasma globes for £60, and Peats of Parnell Street sells electronic kits, including solar-powered circuits (prices from £5. Tel: 872 7799.
www.peats.ie). The Indigo on line shop (www.indigo.ie) also has various educational kits in its toyland (prices from £20) and it promises next-day delivery.
For young people interested in astronomy or birdwatching, the helpful staff at Astronomy Ireland and BirdWatch Ireland can suggest presents for every age, expertise and price range. Telescopes for birdwatching and stargazing can be expensive (a good one could cost £300) but are not essential. Decent binoculars for between £50 and £100 are better for someone starting out. You can also see plenty with just the naked eye aided by a good book.
If you want to upgrade to a telescope next year, try Buy & Sell for bargains in the spring, when unused Christmas telescopes are often sold. Astronomy Ireland's shop is at Firhouse, south Co Dublin (tel: 459 8883. www.astronomy.ie). BirdWatch Ireland is at Monkstown, Co Dublin, (tel: 280 4322. www.birdwatch ireland.ie). Both also sell books, annual membership etc.
If your child is interested in nature or livestock, how about a worm farm? Wild Ireland, the new wildlife magazine, sells educational kits and toys, from worm farms to weather watching packs that let you build your own wind speedometer (prices range from £10, tel: 1850 924 345. www.wildireland.ie). An annual subscription costs £15.
Many popular science books are now so attractively written and presented they appeal to people with even a minimal interest in science. Present books this year include Deborah Cadbury's fascinating Dinosaur Hunters (£16stg ), and David Bodanis's biography of the world's most famous equation, Emc(£15stg).
Lovely Irish books just out include Peter Pearson's encyclopaedic The Heart of Dublin (£30), which mixes social geography, architecture, engineering and industrial heritage; and A View from Above, Donal MacCarron's look at 200 years of flight in Ireland, from hot-air balloons to the latest Garda helicopter (£20 pounds). Both are available in hardback from O'Brien Press.
If your interest is in six-legged or four-legged creatures, then you'll enjoy two new beautifully illustrated guides from Town House: Exploring Irish Mammals by Tom Hayden and Rory Harrington (£20); and Irish In- door Insects by Jim O'Connor and Patrick Ashe (£16.99).
Finally, how about treating someone to a day out? A visit to Birr Castle, with its famous telescope and gardens, or an aquarium (Tralee, Fenit, Bray, Galway and Portaferry all have one), or lunch at the National Botanic Gardens' new visitor centre in Dublin.
Armagh planetarium is closed for renovations, but Dunsink Observatory's open nights continue (the next ones are Wednesday December 20th, January 3rd and 17th). For free tickets, send an SAE to Open Nights, Dunsink Observatory, Castleknock, Dublin 15.
The ultimate trip this year, however, would surely be Madagascar for the total solar eclipse on June 21st, and the folk at Astronomy Ireland can advise. The eclipse's four minutes of darkness is a snip at £1,000.
The websites listed are useful shop windows, but at this late stage, better still are the helpful staff at the end of the telephone who can help chose a present and arrange speedy dispatch in time for Christmas.