ON THE COUCH:Prof Eamonn Quigley is professor of medicine and human physiology at UCC
Family/personal:
Married to Una with four grown-up children.
Which living person do you most admire and why?
Nelson Mandela because of his incredible ability to forgive and move on. My English teacher at Glenstal, John Devitt, who opened my mind to the great joy of literature.
What do you regard as the top three problems facing Ireland's health system?
The failure to admit that the State cannot afford to provide everything to everybody. Secondly, I am concerned that teaching and learning will not be part of the working life of the doctor in the future (for example, teaching is not a component of the new consultants' contract). Finally, the need to train clinical researchers - if Ireland is to be at the forefront of medical research it must support and develop clinicians who can actively participate in research and enable the transfer of advances in the laboratory to advances in patient care.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Buying books and opera CDs.
What is your most unhealthy habit?
Not taking enough exercise and not getting enough sleep.
How do you relax?
Reading and spending time with my family.
Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?
Actor Stephen Fry, biologist and author Jared Diamond, authors William Trevor and Isabel Allende, my wife Una and my children.
What's your idea of perfect happiness?
Sitting outside on a summer evening with family, friends and good conversation.
What trait do you most value in your friends?
Trust and honesty to tell you exactly what they think.
What talent would you most like to have?
Some musical talent.
Do you use alternative/ complementary medicines or therapies?
I do not use them but I would not dismiss them.
What is your earliest memory?
Being in the garden of our then home in Johnstown, Kilmichael in Co Cork.
What is your most treasured possession?
I am not a big possession person, but the most treasured possession would be family photographs and my book collection.
What other career might you have chosen?
I would love to be a writer or a journalist.
What books or films have inspired you?
Several. James Joyce's short story The Dead from The Dubliners encapsulates a lot of Ireland. Books that have given me a lot of pleasure include William Trevor's collection of short stories and Patrick White's The Tree of Man.
Prof Eamonn Quigley is also principal investigator in the Alimentary Pharmabiotic Centre in University College Cork, president of the world gastroenterology organisation and president elect of American College of Gastroenterology.
In conversation with Fiona Tyrrell