Okay, so the weather is dreadful, but what did you expect from Ireland in August? Pour some tea, pull on a woolly jumper and cosy up to the keyboard for an insight into happy pets, sleeping giants, mad motorists and much more...

Stop right there. You were about to give that cocker spaniel a piece of your Mars bar, weren't you? You won't be doing him any favours -- chemicals in the chocolate react badly with the doggy heart, and could be fatal. Open your mind to these and other animal-friendly ways of thinking at the Animal Welfare Resource of Ireland, Ireland's first website dedicated to the well-being of all mankind's best friends -- from dogs and cats to the less-cuddly-but-still-loveable bats, goats and birds of prey. Check out the site's thought-provoking Animal Bill of Rights, find out how to rescue one of the thousands of dogs put down each year in Irish pounds, or examine the list of Irish veterinarians and clinics. It also includes a great set of animal links, from dog dental care to a rat-lovers discussion group! Oh, and don't forget to clean up after your dog in public places. It's a messy job, but you've gotta do it.

Another dirty job, being made a little easier, is trying to find fellow Irish on the Internet. At Esearch you'll find a directory of Irish email addresses. Just like the bigger and better known services such as Four11 and Bigfoot, Esearch performs the same role but concentrates exclusively on Irish users at home and abroad.

Those are likely to be the very people who will find an excellent resource in the pages of the Irish Times. The paper was one of the first to bring an Irish perspective onto the web and now serves up Irish and International news with a unique slant.

And who are those people using services such as Esearch or the Irish Times, exactly? If they're Irish, they're likely to be well-off, well-educated and male, according to a new survey about Irish Internet users by the Irish Internet Association. The survey, which is based on a similar survey by the Graphic, Visualisation and Usability Centre, shows the Irish Internet community at an embryonic stage: Internet use is still concentrated among students (22 per cent of respondents) and computer-industry professionals (24.3 per cent). The vast majority of users, (75 per cent), are male, a trend which was also evident in the early years of US Internet but has since evened off. The Irish Internet Association itself is the country's only association of Internet professionals, promoting best practice in Internet usage and services and promoting Internet commerce. If you're a professional web developer, cast an eye over the Association's own Ethical Standards and Practices guidelines, including a checklist of questions to ask potential customers when assessing their Internet needs.

Professional associations are all well and good for the suits, but normal Irish folk have Internet needs, too. And that's just what Local Ireland aims to do: give everyday citizens in each Irish county the chance to build their town or city's definitive local information website. Already developed are websites for counties Longford and Cavan, beautifully designed and steadily gathering information about local businesses, schools and sport, as well as local flora, fauna, surnames, landmarks, colloquialisms and cures. Have a sore neck? According to local lore in Granard, County Longford, you'll need to "wrap neck with a scarf or ribbon which had been left out of doors on the eve of St. Brigid's Day."

It may all sound overly folksy, but there are wonderful gems of history to be discovered here: the Longford home page, for example, includes a snapshot of a pocket watch that is now in the local museum. The inscription is from Michael Collins (he of Liam Neeson fame) to his love Kitty O'Shea (depicted, it is locally agreed, with an agreeably accurate accent by Julia Roberts in the recent film). And you thought local history was boring...

Never a bore, and guaranteed to make your hair grey early, is the state of Irish roads and the peculiar logic of the Irish motorist. Pointing out the absurdity of it all is The Alternative Guide to Motoring, a devastatingly well-observed commentary on our road conduct. Indicators must never be used -- or, if you feel you must indicate, use indicators to signal what you've already done, rather than what you're about to do. Sidewalks may look as if they're for pedestrians, but they are actually parking spaces, or, for motorbikes, a convenient route down a one-way street. Animals, too, conspire to confound safe driving: "Sheep have discovered that black objects absorb solar radiation better than say, white or green things. Hence you have these ribbons of warmth running through the bleak, windswept countryside, providing comfort to the animals living there. Unfortunately to humans, these ribbons are known as "national routes". Not surprisingly, all visitors to the site are directed to the fat disclaimer on page one, and if you are a sensitive Irish driver without a sense of humour, you're respectfully advised to leave.

Looking for some of the most creative drivers in Ireland? Try Cork, where you'll find swaying hay-bale trucks puttering along the winding roads, inspiring reckless overtaking manoeuvres by desperate drivers. But you know what else you'll find? One of the liveliest Internet communities in Ireland -- albeit in a beginning stage -- thanks to the folks at Sleeping Giant. This West Cork website design firm is also behind an initiative to get local pubs kitted out with Internet computers, and also provides live Internet broadcast facilities for local events. Horse races, Irish-language summer schools and local clan gatherings have all been broadcast at the site, which includes an archive of webcasts as well as a listing of local "cyberpubs". The site also features a selection of local artists in its online gallery, plus news and commentary on Irish events such as the Orange marches, the peace process and the state of the government.

And that's all she wrote. But don't forget: drive safely, and let your goat know that it is loved. It's the least you can do.

Sites featured in Irish Picks

• Animal Welfare Resource of Ireland - champions of Irish animals, four-legged, two-legged and no-legged.
  
• Esearch - Irish only email directory.
  
• Irish Times - news with a distinctly Irish perspective.
  
• Irish Internet Association - featuring the first definitive survey of Irish Internet users.
  
• Local Ireland - local folks, local lore.
  
• Alternative Guide to Motoring - watch out for the sleeping sheep!
  
• Sleeping Giant - West Cork gets wired.
  

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