I wouldn't go out of my way to experience the indignity of middle-age just because it might be good meat for a story.

To claim that music is more important than oxygen would be trite and sentimental. It would also be true.

It's great meeting children because you never know what they will say.

It's a big con job. We have sold the myth of Dublin as a sexy place incredibly well; because it is a dreary little dump most of the time.

When I was growing up, the exam system didn't allow you to write fiction, so you never did.

She's a pot-of-tea-before-I-say-boo-to-you woman. There's always a pile of warm teabags in the sink when I come down, like what a horse would leave behind.

My novels come from within me; they are things I feel I want to do.