Evelyn O'Rourke talks about her holidays
What’s your earliest holiday memory?
It’s of six of us packed in a car and driving to Ballybunion, in Kerry, where my mum is from. We always stayed with my grandparents and spent glorious summers on the “ladies beach”, eating ice creams, playing on the dodgems and staying up late.
Your worst holiday?
Fuerteventura in 2006. A bid to escape the Irish winter that brought sun for a couple of days but little else. The food was crummy, the hotel wasn’t up to much and there was nothing to see but the pool. Great for two days, tedious beyond belief for the next five.
Your best holiday?
It’s a toss-up between touring New Zealand and my honeymoon. Myself, my husband and two close friends roamed the New Zealand South Island in our camper van. Our honeymoon was on the beautiful and tropical Sanibel Island, in Florida, followed by a great road trip from Florida all the way to my favourite city, New York, where we saw U2 in Madison Square Garden.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?
All last year I kept dreaming of taking time off to go work on the US election campaign. As a huge fan of The West Wing I had visions of myself as CJ Cregg, handling press for the Obama campaign and generally setting the world to rights.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?
My husband, John, of course. And if he weren’t available, and if fictional characters count, I’d love to visit Elizabeth Bennet and Mr Darcy in Pemberley.
What’s your favourite place in Ireland?
The Iveragh peninsula, in Kerry, when the sun shines. Kells Bay with a big pile of books and all my nieces and nephews playing on the beach every day. Family, friends and the best seafood in Ireland. You cannot beat a sunny Sunday afternoon sitting in the garden of the Lighthouse Cafe on Valentia Island, looking out across the bay.
Your recommended holiday reading?
I start collecting months in advance. I kick off with Maeve Binchy and Vanity Fair on the plane, then get stuck into a bag of books that have been piling up on the bedside locker. This year’s selection might include The Believers by Zoë Heller and The Clothes On Their Backs by Linda Grant.
Where to next?
If it were up to me, back to the Amalfi Coast, in Italy, but as marriage is about compromise, and his perfect Italian holiday is Mulberry Street – aka Little Italy – in New York, I guess we’ll have to figure it out. But St Valentine’s weekend in London would be great (hint hint).
Evelyn O’Rourke is an RTÉ broadcaster and Gerry Ryan Show reporter on 2FM