DAMIAN DOWNES, Chief executive of Kilkenny Arts Festival, describes his holidays
What's your earliest holiday memory?Courtown Beach, in Co Wexford. As with many Dubs of a certain generation, we spent our summers in a mobile home there. There were five kids in my family, and my aunt and uncle shared ownership of the mobile home. They had six kids, so at certain times we were all staying there.
What was your worst holiday?Last year, immediately after the festival, I insisted on taking a week away. We went to Ballinskelligs, in Co Kerry, but it rained the whole time, and we ended up cutting the holiday short. Every morning we woke up with a cloud hanging across the hills.
What was your best holiday?A trip to South America. I was living in Chicago at the time, and went before I was due to come home. I visited Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. The Iguazu Falls, on the border of Paraguay, Brazil and Argentina, was one of the most spectacular places I have ever seen. I spent about three weeks there, and I'd love to get back. Buenos Aires is such a chic, European-style city. Rio de Janeiro is everything it's cracked up to be, with amazing beaches with guys opening up coconut shells for juice.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?I have a friend living in Hanoi, in Vietnam, and I've an open invitation. I've never been to Asia and would love to explore that country, given its contemporary history.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?My family. I have three girls, aged seven, five and four.
What's your favourite place in Ireland?Last year I went to Skellig Michael, in Co Kerry. It was a very spiritual place. Every day we rang the boat guy to see if we could go, and only on the final day of our holiday were the conditions good enough. We climbed right to the top. It was a misty day, which just added to the aura of the place.
Your recommended holiday reading?I am going through a crime phase at the moment. I have a few of Henning Mankell's books lined up about the cop hero Kurt Wallander. The BBC is showing a drama series based on them.
Where will you go to next?My next holiday is immediately after the festival. I'm going to Schull and Goleen, in west Cork. I love that part of the world – a day on Barley Cove Beach and bringing the kids on a little boat to Garnish Island. It must have a little microclimate, as I've never had bad weather for a holiday there over the past seven years.
** Damian Downes is chief executive of Kilkenny Arts Festival (www.kilkennyarts.ie), which starts on Friday
** In conversation with Genevieve Carbery