My holidays

Genevieve Carbery in conversation with GEORGE HOOK

What’s your earliest holiday memory?

When I was a child, in Cork, my mother would spend the entire year saving from the frugal wage of my father to rent a cottage in Myrtleville seaside resort, 12 miles from Cork. I wouldn’t have gone on a holiday as it is described until I was an adult.

What was your worst holiday?We were in Portugal recently, and it was our first time being in the Algarve for 40 years. Our marriage is well documented as being tough, but the last time Ingrid and I went to Vilamoura on holidays we did not speak to each other for two weeks.

What was your best holiday?I went to New Zealand when the Lions rugby team went there. I took Ingrid, who normally hates rugby. But we only did rugby on Saturdays and toured New Zealand the six other days. New Zealand is a dream for rugby, and it was an ecological dream for Ingrid, one place she had always wanted to go. So we fulfilled two dreams in one holiday.

What about other memories of travelling?I was away last November, in Haiti with Haven, for its Build It Week. I saw how little the people there had. When the earthquake struck, I remember thinking there is no country worse prepared for this than Haiti. I knew instantly that it would be a disaster.

If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?Going on holiday on my own. I love air travel, and my dream would be to fly first class with Singapore Airlines. The place would be less important, but to travel first class it would be somewhere like Australia. I would then do precisely whatever the hell I wanted without worrying about when I had to get up, go to bed, if I wanted to eat dinner or not. I am quite a loner and enjoy my own company.

If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?For 30 years I never really brought Ingrid on holiday. After the Vilamoura experience any time we were on holiday I made a mess of it. Also, I had no money, due to a difficult financial position. I adore making up for lost time by going away with Ingrid. When you didn't go on holidays with someone for 30 years and then discover they're a great travelling companion, there is no question.

What's your favourite place in Ireland?Ballingarry, outside Adare, at the Mustard Seed hotel and restaurant. Ingrid and I both love it, and it gave her a whole new interest in the Heineken Cup, as every time we are in Limerick we stay there. You get great food and a welcome, and the wonderful village of Adare is nearby.

Your recommended holiday reading?An e-reader. I spent all my life packing bulky paperbacks into my bag or leaving a book on a plane after 100 pages and having to buy it again. I can now bring 10 or 20 books on holiday and fit it in an inside pocket.

Where will you go to next?I'm going to the Hong Kong Sevens rugby tour. I've never been. Afterwards we'll go on to New Zealand.

George Hook is an RTÉ rugby analyst and presenter of The Right Hook on Newstalk