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THE SATURDAY INTERVIEW/Joan Burton:THE SENSIBLE WAY to conduct a lengthy interview? Leave the provocative questions until last. That way, if things turn ugly, the bulk of the story is already in the bag. Rarely, however, does the provocation relate to something as personal as someone’s voice. “She can clear the chamber with it – it’s just so . . . so grating,” shudders one of many Leinster House denizens. One swears it has improved though: “It’s definitely better. I’m convinced she’s had voice coaching," writes KATHY SHERIDAN

And so, in a friendly kitchen coming down with cookbooks, spices and Indian take-away menus, it’s a while before the “v” word is delicately introduced to Labour’s deputy leader and spokeswoman for finance. She laughs. “I think it comes with the territory . . . If you’re a woman doing anything in the public domain, you have to try and learn from it.”