1. The best Irish designer you don't wear: Liam Grier

Born and bred in the wilds of Donegal, Liam Grier is one of the finest knitwear designers in the country. His eclectic, audacious and (here's the clincher) affordable creations have been flying off the racks for over a decade, yet he remains an unknown quantity. Greer can do bespoke high fashion and dress Rose Of Tralee winners without compromising his unique voice. Deaf since childhood and fashion-forward to a tee, he cuts a rather colourful character to boot. A two-time Smirnoff Young Designer Of The Year nominee, Grier continues to work in a studio in his hometown of Ramelton, which also serves as a retail outlet for his creations, plus work from other design talent. Enjoy some woolly thinking on www.liamgrier.net.

2. The best self-help book you haven't read: 'Dreamtime' by John Moriarty

Writer and philosopher John Moriarty spent a great deal of his adult life (he passed away in 2007) working as a gardener in the wilds of Connemara, a vocation that gave him ample time to formulate his unique vision of the universe. Moriarty's writings drew liberally upon the legends of Ireland, Native Americans, ancient Greece and Egypt, Islam and the Christian gospels in a search to illuminate the complexities of the human experience. It's all about the journey. As with most truly unique Irish thinkers, Moriarity has yet to receive his due; his first book, Dreamtime, remains a profound and affecting work that transcends definition. If you read this book, your life will be better. Seriously.

3. The best Irish band most likely to go mega any minute: Heathers

That's haven't heard of as opposed to haven't heard, as you've been hearing the music of Heathers on your TV and cinema screens for the past few weeks – their delicious tune 'Remember When' soundtracks the new Discover Ireland campaign. Teenage twin sisters Louise and Ellie McNamara have been winning all the right hearts and minds for a few seasons now. Sunday Tribune Tastemeister General Una Mullally has been raving about them for only aaaaaaages. Superstardom is theirs for the taking.

4. The best expression you don't use: 'Withdrawal Of Goodwill'

As popularised of late by the gardaí. Next time someone ticks you off good and proper, don't fall back on the same tired old Anglo-Saxon retorts – simply refuse to answer their phone calls, citing a simple withdrawal of goodwill. It's not that I don't love you, darling, I'm just withdrawing my goodwill.

5. The best way to make your salads tastier in 60 seconds: toasted, flaked almonds

Toast them, then sprinkle them liberally on your salad.

6. The iPhone app you need to download immediately: Bloom

Listing your favourite apps is a nigh-upon-impossible task – at last count there were over 150,000 to choose from. The true master of the iPhone time-waster has to be Renaissance man Brian Eno. We never get tired of Bloom, his ever-evolving music and visuals programme, and its successors Trope and Air. Simply put, you can spend hours (and days, and months) creating your own cool music and images. What better way to channel your misunderstood genius?

7. The funniest actor you can't quite put a name to: Danny McBride

Danny McBride remains an unknown quantity, but expect that to change. The chubby, be-mulleted thirtysomething isn't conventional leading man material, yet he spent last summer in Belfast filming a mega-budget fantasy comedy called Your Highness. McBride's comedic persona – think blowhard everyman with serious a**hole tendencies – arrived fully formed in The Fist Foot Way, a mockumentary he co-wrote and starred in as a deluded Tae Kwon Do instructor. You might remember him as a drug-dealing moron in Pineapple Express or as George Clooney's prospective brother-in-law in Up In The Air. Which brings us to...

8. The best TV box-set you don't own yet: 'eastbound And Down'

Whether or not Danny McBride can cut the mustard as a leading man remains to be seen, but be sure to revel in his crowning glory to date, Eastbound And Down, a six-part series created by McBride and his Fist Foot Way director Jody Hill. McBride plays Kenny Powers, a washed-up major league baseball player who returns to his home town and grudgingly accepts a gig as a high-school gym teacher. McBride's Kenny Powers is a delicious monster to rank alongside David Brent and Curb Your Enthusiasm's Larry David, and his search for redemption is by turns excruciating and hilarious. Will Ferrell, who executive-produced the series, pops up as a loathsome used car dealer. This is six episodes of imminently quotable genius.

9. The secret ingredient all your meals need: Marigold Swiss Vegetable Organic Bouillon Powder

Say no more.

10. The best movie to grab when you're stuck for a rental: Brick

Before Joseph Gordon Levitt danced his way into our hearts as the lovelorn star of (500) Days Of Summer, he starred in this small, perfectly formed little indie flick. Brick takes the classic elements of the hard-boiled detective story – the flawed hero, the mysterious dame in a red dress, the evil mastermind, the twisty-turny plot – and, in a stroke of genius, transports the action to an average Californian high-school. Brick is a 21st-century neo-noir classic. Even the presence of Claire from Lost can't spoil it.

11. The best band whose name you should be dropping: The Golden Filter

This mysterious Aussie-American electro duo are a bona fide worth-of-mouth interweb phenomenon. Having dropped a pair of killer tunes, 'Thunderbird' and 'Solid Gold', over the past 18 months, Das Filter became the hot remixers of choice, working their particular brand of spaced-out, synth-infused magic on tracks by Little Boots, Empire Of The Sun, Cut Copy and whistling Swedes Peter, Bjorn And John. Now they've made a magnificent debut album, entitled Voluspa, which more than justifies the hype. The title comes from an ancient Nordic poem detailing the creation of the world, and its impending demise. The Golden Filter make their Irish live debut at Oxegen 2010. See you down the front.

12. The best website you don't visit regularly (but probably should): Lifehacker.com

Gawker Media is best known for the seminal gossip website that gave Nick Denton's controversial nu-media empire its name, but it produces a stable of diverse titles that include gaming site Kotaku, gadget fest Gizmodo, geek portal io9 and – our personal favourite – Lifehacker, a daily weblog that recommends (and we quote) downloads, websites and shortcuts that help you work smarter and save time. Like all the best websites, it makes you feel smarter and more purposeful, despite the fact that you're actually spacing out on the internet. Alternately, try Ted.com, where you can peruse fascinating video lectures by Very Smart People.

13. The best quick, random household tip

Storing your batteries at near-freezing temperatures will extend the length of time they hold a charge. We read that on Lifehacker, see.

14. Most unlikely inspirational human being: Eddie Izzard

You might have heard about Izzard's extraordinary mission for last year's Sport Relief: with a minimum of preparation, he ran 43 consecutive marathons around the British Isles, covering 1,000 miles in 51 days. That's a staggering achievement for any athlete, let alone a 47-year old comedian who only began training in earnest for the event five weeks beforehand. Over the past few weeks, the BBC has been screening a documentary, Marathon Man, detailing Izzard's journey: what begins as a seemingly impossible lark slowly transforms into a curiously moving tale of perseverance and triumph.

15.. The best urban hideaway: The Zen Garden of the Chester Beatty Library, Dublin

It's getting increasingly difficult to find a spot to momentarily get away from it all, a fortress of solitude amidst the mayhem of Dublin city, which is why we suggest you go to the Chester Beatty Library (situated in the grounds of Dublin Castle) pronto – its splendid rooftop garden offers the oasis of calm you've been seeking.

16. Best quick (and virtually moron-proof) recipe designed to make you appear more continental than you actually are: Homemade Dulce de Leche

Take a big saucepan. Fill with water. Bring to boil. Add up to four tins (volume is everything) of condensed milk. Boil for a minimum of 120 minutes. Make sure the tins remain submerged at all times – otherwise they will explode. After 120 minutes, allow tins to cool. Then open one tin and revel in a feast of divinely decadent Dulce de Leche-ness. Put the other three tins in the cupboard for future dessert emergencies. A Spanish classic.

17. Best children's book to give as a present: 'the Giving Tree' by Shel Silverstein

This American classic, first published in 1964, remains a shamefully unknown quantity here: simply put, it's about the life-long relationship between a boy and a tree. We won't give away the ending. Like all the best children's books, it's timeless, touching, a bit strange, a bit deep, a bit sad and rather beautiful. Adults love it, too.

18. The best beauty hint for those on a budget: use vinegar as a hair product

That's right – vinegar has always been considered a bit of a knockout in the beauty department. Vinegar can make hair silky and lustrous, and does wonders for scalp-related issues. And no, it doesn't leave a pong.

19. The best album you don't have on CD: Balkan Beat Box by Balkan Beat Box

Sick of your uninspiring record collection? Depressed by its lack of variety? Then buy yourself a copy of the 2005 debut by the Brooklyn-based musical collective founded by Tamir Muskat, former member of poly-ethnic gypsy punk rockers Gogol Bordello. How does one describe the sound of Balkan Beat Box? Take a pinch of eastern European folk music, add healthy doses of klezmer, hip-hop, dancehall and dub and proceed to stir it up. BBB have made a two-in-the-morning party record that does the job in every situation – we've worn out at least three copies, and it just keeps getting better.

20. The one thing your life is missing right now: early nights

That's right: one night a week, turn off the telly, shut down the computer and hit the sack. Read for a little while, only if you must. No newspapers, however. Let your brain slowly wind down. Benjamin Franklin once said: Early to bed and early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise. We'll settle for any two of those.