'I have always loved rowing and have completed the Ocean to City race a good number of times'

TELL us about yourself;

I retired as Director of Services from Cork City Council in 2016. I am a native of Cork and enjoy golf and the Grange-Frankfield Men’s Shed. I also appreciate folk and traditional music and regularly attend the Cork Singers’ Club in the Spailpín Fánach.

I am chair of the Cork Volunteer Centre, which facilitates volunteering, and am also a Board Member of Meitheal Mara, Cork’s Community Boatyard. I have always loved rowing and have completed the Ocean to City race a good number of times. This year, I am volunteering as Shore Safety Team Leader on Saturday, June 3.

Where were you born?

In a nursing Home on South Terrace, Cork.

Where do you live?

I live in Grange, Douglas, in a quiet cul de sac where Catherine looks after the flowers and shrubs and I grow some vegetables.

Family?

My wife Catherine, daughters Eimear and Maeve, her fiancé Colin and our granddaughter Aoibhinn, who is nearly two and the apple of our eyes.

As one of nine, I have a fairly large extended family with a sister in New Zealand for nearly 50 years.

Best friend?

Catherine: we’ve been together happily for many years now.

Earliest childhood memory?

Being wheeled out the Black Ash by my sisters in a big old pram. Apparently, they let me roll into one of the streams out there and brought me home sopping wet and never told our mother.

Person you most admire?

Joe McHugh, former Cork City Manager, who was a visionary for the city and oversaw the preparation of the Cork Land Use and Transportation Plan which was an early example of integrated planning for a city. 

He also promoted council support for the Arts and Community Development which was unheard of in the late ’70s.

Person who most irritates you?

Those who, despite our current problems and challenges, refuse to recognise the tremendous progress Ireland has made over the last 40 years, socially, economically and culturally.

Who would you like to see as Minister for Finance, and why?

Dr Sean Healy of Social Justice Ireland, to effectively address some of our long-standing problems of disadvantaged areas beset by intergenerational poverty, educational underachievement, poor public realm, crime and anti-social behaviour.

Where was your most memorable holiday?

An Island-hopping holiday in Greece some years ago.

Favourite TV programme?

A Spy Among Friends. It captures the intrigue and treachery of the Cold War period very well.

Favourite radio show?

Arena with Sean Rocks on RTÉ Radio1 is always varied and interesting.

Your signature dish if cooking?

A medium steak with chips, onions, mushrooms and a glass or two of red.

Favourite restaurant?

Market Lane, Oliver Plunkett Street, for the buzz and great food.

Last book you read?

My Father’s House, by Joseph O Connor. A great historical novel about a courageous Irish priest and the struggle against the Nazis in Rome during the Second World War.

Bring Up The Bodies, by Hilary Mantel A superb story brilliantly told about Thomas Cromwell, Ann Boleyn and Henry VIII.

Last album/CD/download you bought?

Thanks For The Dance, by Leonard Cohen: A great last album by a wonderful performer.

Favourite song?

Salonika. A traditional Cork song about the lives of the women left behind while their soldier husbands were overseas serving in the British forces during the First World War, made famous by the great Jimmy Crowley.

One person you would like to see in concert?

Séamus Begley, sadly no longer with us. He was a master box player, a wonderful singer and interpreter of traditional songs and a great story-teller.

Do you have a pet?

Two elderly cats, who demand a lot of attention.

Morning person or night owl?

Night owl. I’m happy to start a job at night when everyone else is thinking of going to bed.

Your proudest moment?

Taking part in the Ocean to City Race in a four hand Naomhóg from Crosshaven to Roches Point, Cobh, Passage, Monkstown, and across Lough Mahon. This year’s race takes place on Saturday, June 3.

Spendthrift or saver?

Spendthrift - not the best person to send shopping as I usually come home with far more than we need.

Name one thing you would improve in your area in which you live?

Better supports for carers and people who are left isolated by that role.

What makes you happy?

Doing a bit of volunteering such as helping with the Ocean to City Race on June 3 . They always need extra volunteers and can be contacted at the Meitheal Mara offices at Crosses Green or volunteering@oceantocity.com

How would you like to be remembered?

Fondly and frequently.

What else are you up to at the moment?

I will be Shore Safety Leader for Ocean to City on June 3. There’s a great team of workers and volunteers making sure everything is right on the day.

I hope to take in some of the more than 80 events in the Cork Harbour Festival from June 2 to 11, which Meitheal Mara is helping to organise.

There’s a great variety of events and activities, something for almost everyone.

A full programme of events can be found at corkharbourfestival.com