My holidays

Aoife Spillane-Hinks, theatre director

What was your best holiday?

My trips to Ireland from the States as a child. We came over several summers in a row for a month and would camp, stay in hostels and drive all over the country. I have really potent memories on the road of eating smoked salmon and McCambridge’s bread. We’d often go to the Feakle music festival in Co Clare. My mum would always find somewhere, in a pub or hotel, for me to practice the piano every week.

What was your worst holiday?

Once I met up with an old college friend in Paris. We had made no plans and booked the hotel for just one night as we planned to move on. But after a couple of days I found out I had lost the rights to a show I had been rehearsing. I spent the rest of the holiday in internet cafes, on email and Skype while my friend wandered Paris alone, having no idea where we would spend each night. It was a disaster!

If budget or work were no restriction what would be your dream holiday?

I’d love to do an exhaustive tour of the 50 states . When you are from the east coast, you can have a bit of a sense of superiority to the rest of the country – which is rubbish. I’ve been living in Ireland for more than five years, but I’d love to go back to different places in the US and make sense of it all.

I’d also love to see the complex culture in Mexico. My friends are just back and they visited Diego Rivera’s frescoes and his wife Frida Kahlo’s house.

Who would you bring on holidays with you if you had your pick?

Most frequently I bring my notebook and my disposable camera. When I travel I walk a lot and will stop at a bench and write, as when you get away from everyday life lots of things become clear. But I’d pick someone who does not want to buy souvenirs and has an affection for walking and cheap food.

What’s your favourite place in Ireland?

A few places in north Dublin: the Botanic Gardens, Glasnevin Cemetery and the walk along the sea at Clontarf.

Your recommended holiday reading?

I remember one holiday to Biarritz sitting on the beach reading Philip Roth's American Pastoral. It was one of the best weeks I ever spent. But generally I bring 10 New Yorkersto catch up on.

Where will you go to next?

I haven’t been back to the States for a while, so would like to go. Because I am not home that often, New Haven, Connecticut has become a destination rather than a home town, and I am like a tourist there.

Aoife Spillane-Hinks is co-directing Plaza Suite at the Gaiety Theatre Dublin, February 20th- March 3rd, gaietytheatre.ie