The problem with being Irish... is having 'Riverdance' on your back. It's a burden at times.

I wasn't even aware of the Year of the Family. I couldn't give a toss. These things - the year of the family, the year of the three-legged dog. I think it's all trash.

No matter how close to personal experience a story might be, inevitably you are going to get to a part that isn't yours and, actually, whether it happened or not becomes irrelevant. It is all about choosing the right words.

When you grow up on an island, what matters is how you stand to the sea.

I like naming characters.

You know people are always putting Ulysses in the top 10 books ever written but I doubt that any of those people were really moved by it.

She'd tried her hand at most things, but drew the line at honesty.