Actor Lorcan Cranitch
What was your best holiday?It was in the early days of my wife Susan and I going out and we went sailing in the Virgin Islands for a week. It was just the two of us on a yacht and it was one of the most revitalising things I had ever done. I'm not a sailor, but I do know what makes the boat work, so it was a bit of a leap of faith.
We were part of a flotilla – but we didn’t have to stay with it and went off on our own. We would see a little cove, drop the anchor and it was ours for the day. We’d go snorkelling in the clear water, go to the beach, and have barbecues at the back of the boat. It was amazing.
What was your worst holiday?A good few years ago we decided to go on a last-minute off-season break. A friend recommended a hotel in Morocco. It was a beautiful colonial hotel an hour from Agadir. The theory was it would be warm there. During the day it was scorching but at night it was freezing. We would huddle together at night wearing every stitch of clothing we had. The hotel had no heating and we should have seen the warning signs when they lit huge open log fires in the hallway. We tried to relax and enjoy it, but if someone had offered me an early flight home I would have taken it.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?If money were no object, I would hire out Disney World Florida for three days so I could let my son Robel and some of his friends loose in it.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?I'd bring my old school friend Brian who is a head chef because the company and cooking would be great.
What's your favourite place in Ireland?I go to Kerry quite a bit and I'm a huge fan of the west coast. All the cliches are true – if only it got the weather, it would be brilliant. But I've been there in mixed weather and still find it amazing. There is nothing to beat the power of the Atlantic coming at you.
Your recommended holiday reading?I'm not great at sitting down to read on holidays as I tend to want a revitalising experience rather than kicking back.
If I am reading, I like to choose something with a bearing to where I am. For example, when I went to meet Robel in Ethiopia I took the Sign and the Seal by Graham Hancock. This year I may have another crack at Joyce’s Ulysses, given the year that is in it.
Where will you go to next?We have booked a week in Kerry for later in the year and I'd love to go to northern Spain, from Pamplona to Bilbao.
In conversation with
GENEVIEVE CARBERY
Lorcan Cranitch stars in The House which is running at the Abbey Theatre, Dublin, until July 14th