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

I've been asked why does Ireland produce so many great musicians, and the answer is it doesn't. When you count the great musicians Ireland has given the world in the last 20 years, you can do it on one hand.

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 like naming characters.

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.

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

It was a sign of growing up, when the dark made no more difference to you than the day.