Ah, December. The end of the year, as it were. Yahoo! would like to thank all of you who've helped us out by offering suggestions for our Irish Picks. Keep 'em coming in 1998! Meanwhile, tune in to our Picks for December -- or click here if you only want to view this month's list of sites.

Wanna get into a winter groove? Or maybe you're in the mood for a bit of alternative healing. Whatever your persuasion, Ireland has a click-worthy new site for you.

Funking into the top spot for this month is The Sound Factory, featuring the best club tracks and mixes from Cork's own Eddie James. Includes brief RealAudio samples of James's own work, plus music from other Cork recording and club artists, including live sets. For those who want more, James has also included a freeware music player for download and three of his own favourite Modules, extended mixes of seven to ten minutes. Also includes album reviews, plenty of free music sampling and player software, and more. Altogether -- and we don't use the term lightly -- groovy.

Also on the music front is the brand spanking new Muse, Ireland's new weekly music e-zine. Music fans will recognise this as serious stuff -- well- written and original reviews, news and interviews by Ireland's top music journalists from print and radio, including Donal Dineen, John Kelly and Mic Moroney. Reviews feature RealAudio snippets from the material, and the producers tell us that other cool features will be ready real soon now. Watch this space for RealVideo, live webcasts, and the compelling "I Heard it Through the Grapevine", where visitors contribute their own mis-heard song lyrics. "If you've ever sang "get your socks off" to Primal Scream's "Rocks", we want to hear from you."

On an altogether more astral plane is Cathedral Books, the new site for Dublin's spiritual bookstore. This isn't just a collection of tomes about the saints or the lives of the popes; expect books on spirituality, alternative healing, psychology, working with children and more. There's an excellent search facility, plus weekly reviews of books of Irish interest -- although we would have liked to see more reviews, or even a facility to let visitors submit their own reviews, this is still an excellent start.

All that spiritual stuff a bit too fluffy for you? Prefer something a bit more muscular? Check out the beefy new site from The Irish Defence Forces, a comprehensive look at Ireland's army, navy and other armed services. There's all the usual military fare here, and it's all searchable by keyword: including pictures and statistics on weapons, from sniper rifles to anti-tank guns, as well as in-depth descriptions of the role each part of the military plays. "Infantry soldiers are the backbone of all armies. Often referred to as foot soldiers, it is the job of the infantry to close with the enemy and destroy them." Also includes intriguing information on land mines, how to spot them, and what to do if you're ever caught standing on one.

Quick -- what lighthouse is closest to your granny's house? Check out this new site from the Commissioners of Irish Lights for the answer. Includes a map of buoys, lighthouses and other navigation aids around the Irish coastline, plus an interesting FAQ for mariners, with easy-to-understand explanations of Global Positioning Systems and other radio navigation tools. Also features a handful of attractive photographs of Irish lighthouses -- each one of them unmanned, now that the Commissioners have withdrawn all lighthouse keepers, although, not surprisingly, we couldn't find any information about this controversial move on the site.

Also keeping its eye on the good news is the Irish Trade Board, the organisation at the very centre of Ireland's booming Celtic tiger economy. Includes a keyword-searchable directory of more than 3,000 Irish exporters, with links to their Web sites, as well as summary financial facts about the country. There are reprinted articles about Ireland from the Economist, extensive explanations of why Ireland is a good place to locate for businesses, plus a guide to locating in Ireland, courtesy of the Irish Emigrant. There are also overviews of sectors including telecommunications, pharmaceuticals and software. But this is good news only, folks -- news of Ireland's rampant software piracy problem is nowhere to be seen...

That's all for this month. Visit us again in 1998 for more news of Ireland's best sites!

Sites featured in Irish Picks

• The Sound Factory - groovy music from Cork.
  
• Muse - weekly music news from Ireland's top journos.
  
• Cathedral Books - the spiritual bookstore goes online.
  
• The Irish Defence Forces - in-depth info about Ireland's armed forces.
  
• Commissioners for Irish Lights - lighthouses-r-us.
  
• Irish Trade Board - promoting Ireland and its 3,000-plus exporting companies.