Senator Eugene Regan, Fine Gael
Your earliest holiday memory?
I remember a holiday with an older brother at my grandparents' farm at Cloonticarn, near Gorteen in Co Sligo. I was eight years old and the house was the original thatched cottage, the most extraordinary place. To this day I remember every nook and cranny, the well across the road and the making of the hay. It was a taste of the west, of the ancestral home. It was very special.
Your worst holiday?
I remember a seaside family holiday in a "haunted house" in Malahide when I was about 10 years old. All sorts of strange incidents happened. I came from a big family, I'm one of 13 children, and every one of us had an experience there. I apparently tried to get out of a window and put my hand on electric wires. It was a very dangerous situation.
Even my father had a concern about that house. It was up from the coast road on the way from Portmarnock. I think it's a housing estate now.
Your best holiday?
My best holiday was in the 1980s in Denmark. My wife is from Denmark so we went to see her family. The children were with us and my mother came too. I remember introducing her to all of these people, in a country with 1.5 children to a family, and her with 13. They couldn't figure this out at the time and they treated her like a goddess. We took the children to Tivoli Gardens and Legoland - they had great fun.
If budget or work was no restriction, what would be your dream holiday?
I would like to take a trip to the Far East on the Orient Express. The problem is that you need plenty of time - probably six weeks - and that's hard to manage. I have to be honest: I've never taken my full complement of holidays.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?
My wife, of course.
Your favourite place in Ireland?
My favourite place is Sligo. I always associate it with my Dad. And I still have some cousins in the area. Even in the Senate, my roots in Sligo are known. When I started, people from Sligo said to me, "We're very proud of you, to get our own man in the Senate."
What book would you recommend to read on holiday?
The Third Policeman by Flann O'Brien.
Where will you spend your next holiday?
Egypt - I love the Middle East. I used to go there a lot. I went to Iraq and Jordan, all of these areas, but I never got around to seeing Egypt. The historical richness of Egypt is something I haven't had an opportunity to delve into.