This week My Holidaystalks to Jim Bartley, actor
What's your earliest holiday memory?
We went to Arklow, in Co Wicklow, with my mother and father. I must have been six or seven. We were driven by my uncle Paddy in a big black car. The B&B we went to was infested with mice, and we had to leave it. We ended up in a corrugated beach house. It was green, I remember, and very primitive, but it didn't matter. We were right on the beach, and we had good fun.
What was your worst holiday?
I can't think of a really bad one, but one holiday in the 1970s could have been a disaster. I went away with two friends, Mick Swan and Ray Crowe from a band called The Memories, after finishing in the Gaiety's Gaels of Laughter. We went off to Majorca to a very cheap hotel and ran out of money after a week. We had no credit cards back then, and it looked like it would be a disaster. Then Ray brought his guitar to a cafe called Ma's Place and started a sing-song. The owner asked would we come back that evening. Within one night the place was packed, and the owner was delighted. The second week was great.
What was your best holiday?
I went on a trek for the National Council for the Blind. It was very demanding; we were up at 6am every day. We crossed the canyons of Utah and Colorado. It was beautiful and very exciting.
If budget or work was no restriction, what would be your dream holiday?
I would love to visit the Seychelles, to sit with a cold beer in a bar on the beach. But trying to plan a holiday like that in my business is hard; I only know four weeks ahead when I'll be off. I usually get a holiday last minute.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?
My partner, Helen, and my daughter.
Your favourite place in Ireland?
I love Clonakilty and the Inchydoney spa hotel; it's very relaxing. And Clonakilty is a lovely town - really good fun - and the food is good, too. I also love Roundstone and the Connemara area, and Ballynahinch Castle.
What book would you recommend to read on holiday?
On holidays my favourite read is The Irish Times. I have to have it no matter where I am, and I don't mind if it is two or three days old. I love the letters page and the Crosaire.
• Jim Bartley plays Bela Doyle in Fair City