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.

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.

I tend to plan as I write. And I want to leave myself open and the character open to keep on going until it seems to be the time to stop.

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.

I'm going to sound like an old man but at my age, it's lovely doing something that you've never done before.

It's hard for me to measure them, or to assess my books because I'm so close to them.

I like naming characters.