My holidays

Bryan Murray, actor: What was your best holiday?I've been to Disney World and Universal Studios in Florida a few times when the children were young. It's a great holiday that always does the trick. It's really enjoyable for parents too especially in later years when the children are teenagers and you can dare them to go on the rollercoaster with you and you make a total fool of yourself and enjoy it.

What was your worst holiday?I went to Fuerteventura about 12 years ago. We flew all the way down the west coast of Africa to decamp at a hotel in the middle of a building site. It was a serious disappointment. The pool wasn't even open. But on the second day we found another hotel, explained our situation and they let us use their pool. So we enjoyed our holiday in the end. Such bad experiences are rarer now due to the likes of Tripadvisor.

If budget or work were no restriction, what would be your dream holiday?It used to be diving in the Great Barrier Reef – but I got to do this when working in Australia. It was every bit as good as I had hoped and very exciting even though I am a bit of a scaredy cat. I was convinced I would be eaten by a shark. And what was the first thing I saw out of the side of my mask when I went down – a shark. But the instructor calmed me down. Friends who have travelled around the world with Riverdance tell me Argentina is really great. So if someone gave me €5,000 I'd go there.

If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?I'd bring my partner Una. We like many of the same things on holiday such as visiting ruins and old churches.

What's your favourite place in Ireland?Walking by the sea is one of my favourite things to do and something I miss about Dublin, having lived in London for so long. I really love Kerry where walking along the Atlantic is the best because of the sense of looking out across the wide wide ocean.

Your recommended holiday reading?I love Greece and have been there more than 15 times. One of my most special memories of reading a book on location was Report to Greco by Nikos Kazantzakis.

Where will you go to next?I need my American fix next. You can go a certain length of time without seeing it then one morning you wake up thinking you need to go. I know the west coast well as I lived in Los Angeles and recently worked in San Francisco. But right now, to borrow from Billy Joel, I'm in a New York state of mind.

Actor Bryan Murray is currently performing in The Gate Theatre’s production of Daphne du Maurier’s My Cousin Rachel in a new adaptation by Joseph O’Connor until May 19th