EIMEAR NÍ CHONAOLA, TG4 presenter, talks about her holidays
What's your earliest holiday memory?Going camping in Brittany, in France, with my three brothers and my parents. I remember getting baguettes in the local boulangerie and swimming in the great pools at the campsites.
What was your worst holiday?I went on holidays with my brothers to Rosses Point, in Sligo. We stayed in a small caravan, but it was a total washout and poured rain for the week. It was no joke with four kids cooped up in a tiny caravan.
What was your best holiday?Travelling around Peru, in South America, for three weeks. We began in Lima and flew to the beautiful city of Arequipa, in the south. Arequipa has a great atmosphere and is set in a valley at the foot of the snow-capped El Misti volcano. From here we travelled to Puno, by Lake Titicaca. It's not the most attractiveof cities, but it had a great vitality. The Peruvian people were very welcoming and dressed in the most colourful fashion. Machu Picchu, the sacred city of the Incas, was an incredible sight. The feeling of awe when you see it is something that stays with you. You get a feeling of privilege and honour that you had a chance to see this mystical site. I'd go back to Peru tomorrow.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?I'd love to see the Antarctic. I've always been fascinated by the exploits of Tom Crean and by the Shackleton stories, the challenges they faced and their indomitable spirit at every hazard.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?My good friend Niamh came with me to Peru. I was in secondary school with her, and we travel well together. We are on the same wavelength in terms of what we want to do, which makes travel easier.
What's your favourite place in Ireland?With my work I am very fortunate to visit a lot of the beautiful places in Ireland. Inis Meáin and Inis Oírr are two of my favourite islands. Baile an Sceilg and the Dingle peninsula are truly beautiful. I sailed on the Asgard II from Cork to Galway twice. The whole coast looks amazing from the sea.
Your recommended holiday reading?I like thrillers or historical dramas, something that engrosses you, like books by John Connolly or Khaled Hosseini.
Where will you go to next?I haven't explored a lot of the Cavan-Monaghan area and am thinking of going to see Patrick Kavanagh country soon. I have a very good friend in New York whom I will visit in the autumn.
** Eimear Ní Chonaola presents Nuacht on TG4
** In conversation with Genevieve Carbery