If you could be anywhere in the world, where would you be?
At home with Rita and the family

What (or who) is playing on your MP3 player?
Kings of Leon, Josh Rouse, Regina Spektor, Jackson Browne

If you could be a superhero, what super power would you want?
The ability to predict the future

It's time for a second career. What do you choose?
Two things: I'd love to own and run a gourmet food and wine store, and I rather fancy myself a travel journalist.

When your life story is made into a movie, who should they cast as you?
Tom Cruise (but he's two inches shorter than I am!)

What's the best book you read in the past year?
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwan or The Lay of the Land by Richard Ford — two writers at the height of their game

What's your hidden talent?
I am a great cook.

Who inspires you?
My sister Marian. She suffers from muscular dystrophy and manages to live life to the fullest, without a grumble.

If you could trade places with anyone (living or from history) for a week, who would you choose?
I'd love to live for a week in my father's childhood. He was one of 13 children brought up in difficult times on a farm in Ireland's midlands.

What is your favorite cause/charity?
Third World charities

What do you do to stay healthy?
I walk everywhere.

How do you strike a balance between your work and your personal life?
I try to avoid travel at weekends.

If you could go back in time, what would you change about your life?
I'd be a kinder, more gentle person at every opportunity.