What's your earliest holiday memory?At Courtown Harbour in Co Wexford when I was four or five. It was a beautiful summer and we stayed in a caravan there. I remember getting washed out to sea when a wave knocked me over. I was only knee high, but it left me with a fear of water.
What was your worst holiday? Majorca about seven years ago. We were in an old-fashioned apartment block with no air-conditioning. It was hell at 40 degrees. There was nothing for the kids to do except play on a broken pool table beside the swimming pool. It's a beautiful island for a solitary break for couples, but for a young family it is not the best place to go.
What was your best holiday? The most wonderful place I have ever been, and a life changing experience, was a trip to Cambodia. I visited for two weeks as a guest of Trócaire. It was such a culture shock with abject poverty contrasting with beautiful beaches in the south. We took a trip to the borders also where we met people who were coming out of the forest. It was like watching Out of Africayears ago. It was both a lovely and horrifying experience which will live with me for the rest of my life.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?I would like to hire a Harley-Davidson in New York or Boston, then travel to Chicago and take Route 66 across the US. The trip would end in Santa Monica, California, where I would hang out like a hippy.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?I'd like to spend a week away with Bono in a place that is not well known, somewhere in Ghana or South America. I'd like to get him out of the glitzy environment of his comfort blanket. The two of us could have a serious chat about politics, music and what makes him tick. I know there is a great character behind the facade. What's your favourite place in Ireland? Bantry and Baltimore in east Cork and out around the peninsulas in west Cork. I love the remoteness and friendliness. The area has cultivated a culture of its own, and I am made to feel very welcome there because of a family connection.
Your recommended holiday reading?John Connolly is my number one as it is pure escapism. I like to read John Grisham and good hard-nosed thrillers when I am away.
Where will you go to next?I'm hoping to go to Slovakia and tour a couple of nearby countries in the summer. I hope to get to New York in September or October for a few days.
Broadcaster Gareth O'Callaghan presents
Breakfast on 4,
Monday to Friday from 6am to 9am on 4FM. www.4fm.ie
* In conversation with Genevieve Carbery