GENEVIEVE CARBERYspeaks to Senator Ivana Bacik
What’s your earliest holiday memory?
I grew up in Cork and I used to spend summers at Ballinspittle. I remember myself, my sister and brother spending all day in our togs running around the beach, swimming, building sandcastles and having picnics. I remember it as always sunny and never cold!
What was your worst holiday?
One January, we went to Tenerife on a package holiday for the first time. On our way into the resort, the tour guide told us to stay away from a nearby bar because of the fights there. That set the tone. It was a grim place, we stayed in a concrete high-rise apartment block, there was nothing to do and the weather wasn’t great. Other than the local bar, there was a lack of places to eat. On a bright note, we were there in January and apparently during the high season the fights are worse! I wouldn’t want to go back.
What was your best holiday?
The summer before last I went to a beautiful town called Nerja in southern Spain with my mum, husband Alan and two daughters. It was a most pleasant and relaxing holiday. We rented a big house near a beach and a row of restaurants. We had nice walks, ate out in the evening and the girls enjoyed playing on the beach. I’ve been to more exotic places, but this was special because it was a lovely family holiday.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?
For years I’ve been meaning to take a few months and travel around central and south America. It would be amazing politically and culturally. I speak Spanish and have been to Cuba and Mexico, but I’d love to go to Venezuela, Peru and Chile. I’d finish in Argentina; a place of contrasts from cosmopolitan Buenos Aires to the ice of Patagonia.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?
Alan and the girls. The girls are still very young (five and three), so we don’t go very far afield. But they are old enough to take an interest and still get excited going on a plane.
What’s your favourite place in Ireland?
I’ve been going to Ballyvaughan, Co Clare, for the past 15 years. I have friends there and am on the committee of the Burren Law School, which takes place every May bank holiday. It’s a really special village, with a great community, nice pubs and restaurants. The scenery is beautiful, with the incredible bay and a grey purple light you don’t see anywhere else. Another place we’ve started going to is Dungarvan, Co Waterford, and Clonea strand. It’s quite a foodie place, while the long beautiful beach with shallow water is great for kids and it’s not too far away.
Your recommended holiday reading?
I like an eclectic mix. From political biographies such as Alastair Campbell’s The Blair Years to light reading for the beach such as Marion Keyes and Jilly Cooper.
Where will you go to next?
When the election is over, I’ll take the girls and Alan to Paris to see a friend. We might fit in a day in Disneyland Paris (which I am lobbying for).
Ivana Bacik is a senator for Dublin University