How do you travel to and from work? By DART, from Greystones to Tara Street.

How long does it take? I am fortunate to live 300 yards from the station in Greystones, and my office at the Abbey Theatre is about 500 yards from Tara Street. So it is a little under an hour from door to door.

What time do you leave home? Usually 7.15 a.m.

What time do you arrive back at? Because of my work it varies, but I always aim to get the 6.30 p.m. Rosslare Europort diesel from Connolly, which is scheduled to get into Greystones at 7.10 p.m. and only has one stop in between. Sometimes my wife, Julia, will bring our daughters, Elishka (3) and Milena (2), to meet me off the train, and we have an unashamedly Waltons moment on the platform.

Do you travel the same route every day? Yes.

What do you enjoy about your commute? Having a seat. Reading my book or the paper. The new station at Greystones. The fact that the journey is along the coast. Meeting up with my pals the actor Mark Lambert or the economist Alan Gray. During the summer months, I commute twice weekly to Wexford, when my family decamp to our house at Saltmills. The journey through Wicklow and along the Slaney from Enniscorthy must be one of the most beautiful in Ireland.

What bothers you most about your commute? The far-too-frequent cancellations or delays. The catch-all excuse of signalling failure. The inability or unwillingness of many drivers to give information when trains are delayed at or between stations.

Would you change your mode of transport if you could? No. But I like to reduce the frequency of the journey by working from home for a day a week when I can.

How could your journey be improved? By addressing the above criticisms and, with a few notable exceptions, giving the surly Iarnrod ╔ireann staff lessons in public relations.

In conversation with Sylvia Thompson