TOM says: "I think it's vital to say that my favourite songs change all the time. 2006 so far has been a particularly good year for music. Some of the people who had success were really original and off the beaten path but still found mass audiences. X Factor judges may have pointed to manufactured bands and said 'this is what people want' but people in their droves instead were picking up music by the Arcade Fire, Jose Gonzalez, Sufjan Stevens and Bell X1."

Tom's essential iPod playlist 1.Sebastian Tellier . . . 'La Ritournelle' "The album version is a sumptuous seven minutes in length but even the radio edit is pure class. This is the stand-out track from the album by some distance and is reminiscent, for those who can recall, of a beautiful piece of music called 'Les Nuits' from a band from a few years back called Nightmares on Wax. The NME described this as this year's 'Bittersweet Symphony' and it's hard to argue with that."

2.Interpol . . . 'Take You on a Cruise' "The music of this New York band is as addictive as most illegal substances. When I play this on air I have to be reminded that I'm doing a radio show. They paint dramatic life or death pictures of life that never fail to draw you to a more romantic, exciting, passionate world.

Amazing."

3.Ryan Adams . . . 'Come Pick Me Up' "Okay, so this is harking back a few years. I am pretty disappointed by the standard of Ryan Adams's latest work, but this goes back to one of his very first solo records. The album Heartbreaker was written entirely about one failed relationship and was conceived solely to get back at the other party. It is sublime and this is its stand out track."

4.Sufjan Stevens . . . 'Chicago' "If you are unfamiliar with the work of Sufjan Stevens and buy his latest album Illinoise on the strength of this recommendation you will probably call your first born after me in gratitude for the favour I am doing you here.

He's even got a song on here about John Wayne Gacy jnr . . . yes, the serial killer."

5.Modest Mouse . . . 'Float On' "Probably my favourite song of all of 2004. Impossibly perky, upbeat and optimistic. 'I backed my car into a cop car, the other day, ' sings Isaac Brock, the band's singer, 'But he just drove off/ Sometimes life's a cake/ And we all float on okay!' You simply must get this song."

Ernie Whalley Editor, Food & Wine magazine Area of Expertise: Restaurants

Ernie says: "Food is important for me, but sometimes my wife accuses me of having tunnel vision when it comes to restaurants. I tend to focus on one thing . . . the big white plate. I think a great restaurant is a perfect combination of the quality of ingredients and the quality of the chef. There is no point in a great chef working with below-par ingredients, and correspondingly there's little point in having all these great ingredients and handing them to a chef who doesn't know what to do with them, as happened in one hotel that will have to remain namelessf" Ernie's favourite Irish restaurants 1.Chapter One . . . 18/19 Parnell Square, Dublin 1 "It's a perfect restaurant because of the overall package. I like the people involved; their two chefs are wonderful and they have an excellent sommelier. The food is fabulous and they have achieved a number of firsts. They were the first to set up an Irish charcuterie trolley. I'm sure a lot of people wish they'd thought of that first."

2.Mermaid Cafe . . . Dame Street, Dublin 2 "I love it for its informal funkiness, and their nice cooking. The menu doesn't change that often but they have their own take on food.

It's not quite French classical but it's not food for art's sake either. As an added bonus, they have really comfortable chairs."

3.L'Ecrivain . . . 109A Lower Baggot Street, Dublin 2 "Between Derry Clarke's cooking and the overall ambiance, this is a great haunt. I took my wife there recently for the first time . . .

she thought it would be formal and stuffy and she was relieved to find it wasn't. They make people feel important without losing their nicely familiar manner."

4.China House . . . Moore Street, Dublin 1 "They call this place China House, but then they have a sign in the window saying 'Northern Palace'. It's all very weird. From the outside it's scruffy, and you have to be brave to walk up the stairs past the guys blocking the door, but the food is absolutely wonderful. They use flavours you would never dream of. Plus, they use things like welks and ham hocks that aren't on many Irish menus."

5.Rasam . . . 18/19 Glasthule Road, Dun Laoghaire, Co Dublin "At Rasam, they bring a touch of India to proceedings without there being pictures of the Taj Mahal everywhere. Plus, I want to steal their elephant.

It's a better class of Indian cookery than you'll find at many other Indian restaurants . . . they look at regional variations and explore different ways of doing things."

Brendan Kennelly Poet, author Area of Expertise: Literature

Brendan says: "A good book, essentially, is something that haunts you and invites you not to read but to re-read it. Each rereading is an experience in newness, fresh discovery and surprise. Great writers like Yeats and Shakespeare are interested in seeking how to define what the imagination can do."

Brendan's must-have literary works:

1.John Keats . . . The Letters Of John Keats "He was a great poet and human being. His letters to friends and family are among the most humane and honest and candid documents I have ever read.

They have the innocence and sincerity of letters, but what you get is the expression of rare humanity and a fascinating attitude to poetry and art. In the letters, there is a mixture of practicalism with these wonderful, lucid statements about complex artistic matters."

2.William Shakespare . . . Hamlet "Every time I read this, it's a new play. It's almost as if it were reading me. Such is the complexity of it that it makes you think of the nature of conscience and consciousness all the time."

3.James Joyce . . . Ulysses "Any Irish person reared in this culture must be into trying to define the nature of consciousness. This novel is an epic, fantastic excursion into consciousness in order to find out what conscience is."

4.William Blake . . . Songs Of Innocence and Experience "These songs have the power to define great poetry. They are great songs, and one day I'd love to hear Bono singing them!"

5.Patrick Kavanagh . . . The Hospital "Patrick Kavanagh changed with the wisdom of experience but always referred to that notion of having a dream. Kavanagh was the only true mystic we have ever produced. He was a great love poet, if not very popular with the women, and The Hospital is simply wonderful."

Caroline Morahan TV presenter, Off the Rails Area of Expertise: Beauty

CAROLINE says: "I always tend to look for natural products and I love Dr Hauschka and Neal's Yard. I like looking after my health and that extends to my body. There's a huge dichotomy there because, even though I like vodka, I like to put pure, clean things on my face! Of course, I'll turn a blind eye to an amazing glitter or something if it's not 100% natural. . ."

Caroline's essential beauty brands 1.Sisley "This is a real treatsy, very botanical skincare range with loads of delicious ingredients. They have the All Day All Year moisturiser that I love to use. You can lash it on and there's no residue. This will take you right through the winter and into spring."

2.SkinCeuticles "I picked their moisturiser up at the Serenity Day Spa in Glasthule. I love this because it has an SPF of 30 . . . I don't really smoke so sun damage is the biggest 'anti-ager' for me, and I'm trying to be aware of it."

3.Lancome "Their mascaras are phenomenal . . .

a real godsend . . . and I always use them. Their Flash Bronzer is also brilliant as you will feel like you've lost a stone. I always look in the mirror when I've put this on and think, 'oh wow, check me out!' It's a very subtle shade of bronze as I abhor the sheep-dipped tan look."

4.Dr Hauschka "When I use the Lancome tan, I put some Dr Hauschka Rose Body Cream on my knees! The cream is lovely to use, especially after the end of a heavy week where I'm filming every day. I'm also a fan of Dr Haushka Cream Cleanser . . . it leaves absolutely nothing on the skin, no residues, but unlike a lot of cleansers, my skin never feels taut."

5.Chanel "I'm really into scent . . . I remember wearing Tweed or Charlie when I was really young, and graduated onto the Body Shop's White Musk!

Nowadays, I'm a huge fan of Coco by Chanel . . . it's like my signature scent. It's very me, sort of playful.

It's a real fragrance for when you step into your heels, and not really for when you're tearing around in your runners."

Baz Ashmawy and Michael Hayes TV presenters, How Low Can You Go? Area of Expertise: Trave l

MICHAEL says: "A good destination has much to do with the people that are there. If you're somewhere beautiful and surrounded by knobs, it can take away from the enjoyment of the place. Then again, if you're in the Himalayas it doesn't really matter who you're with."

Baz says: "I'm easily pleased . . . being halfEgyptian, I tend to like heat and beaches. It's also a waste to go somewhere and not try local delicacies, so that's very important in a destination."

Baz and Michael's top holiday destinations 1.Koh Samui, Thailand Baz: "After living in Australia, I went to Thailand and it was the first time I'd ever been to a place like it. At night the algae in the water lights up the sea and it looks wondrous. My advice would be to travel light as it's a real backpacker destination, and get friendly with the locals!"

2.Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt Baz: "This part of Egypt is different to the rest of the place, as it's not westernised and doesn't have a 'commune' feel. It's on the Red Sea too, so it's perfect for snorkelling and scuba diving. Try the local cuisine . . . you can get great falafel and cous-cous for little or no money."

3.London, UK Baz: "It's so close that many people don't bother with it, but it's great for pure debauchery, and now that it has become a 24hour city, it's the perfect party town. Just make sure to save up beforehand if you want to have a good time!"

4.Prague, Czech Republic Michael: "I was there in 1991, and the Berlin Wall had just come down, so everything was really cheap. I fell in love with a girl and we just walked the streets of Prague. On top of that, you could get hammered on a pound."

5.New York, USA Michael: "We went to an expensive bar called Lotus, and met people who took us to an underground illegal bar on 49th Avenue.

New York is best if you go off the beaten track and talk to local people.

They're very friendly and like to show off their city to outsiders.

6.Finland Michael: "If you like snowboarding, this is the perfect place to be. It's totally unspoilt, there are no billboards and the countryside is so well preserved. On the trip I made, so many people were drinking and for a change one of them wasn't me. It was the first and only time I could take the moral high ground on the drinking front."