Opera singer Cara O'Sullivan describes her holidays
What’s your earliest holiday memory?
I remember going to Donegal for a two-week family holiday when I was 12. It was a long drive from Cork and took all day. The first week it poured and the second week was a scorcher.
What was your worst holiday?
It wasn’t a holiday, but it was travelling back from Antwerp after an audition. I had been up since 3am to get to the audition and it was a tight turnaround, coming back the same day. I was exhausted and I was not feeling well that day.
I arrived into Waterloo train depot and one of the customs officers tapped me on the back of the shoulder and manhandled me. He took my passport without permission. He also asked lots of questions that I was not able to answer as I was so tired.
I know he had a job to do but I told him he frightened the living daylights out of me and he apologised. It was a very upsetting experience and stayed with me afterwards.
W hat was your best holiday?
It was when I was asked to sing at a wedding. I asked the guy was he getting married in Cork or somewhere nearby. He said Saint Lucia in the Caribbean!
So he brought his family, me and my daughter, my accompanist and her husband on an 11-night cruise. The day of the wedding we were flown by helicopter to a hotel in between the twin peaks in Saint Lucia. It’s a hotel you often see in Hello! magazine. It was a lot more lavish than I would ordinarily see on holiday. It was such a beautiful, memorable trip and his family made us feel so welcome.
If budget or work were not a restriction, what would be your dream holiday?
I’ve always wanted to go to Japan and China but never had the opportunity. My late mum wanted to see and explore the Great Wall of China. I am fascinated by Japanese culture and have read a lot of books on it. It is so different, meaningful and diverse.
If you had your pick, who would you bring on holiday with you?
My friends own a house in Tenerife and often invite me down there. It’s a very restful holiday to recharge my batteries. My favourite time to go is January, as I hate the long winter nights in Ireland. They are good friends and I can relax with them.
What’s your favourite place in Ireland?
I have a mobile home in Ardmore, Co Waterford. It’s on the beach and only 50 minutes from home. It has great walks, hostelries, great restaurants (my favourite dish is lobster thermidor at the White Horses restaurant). There’s a lovely community there among other caravan park people and the welcoming locals whose lives we integrate into every year.
Y our recommended holiday reading?
I like Philippa Gregory’s historical novels, I’ve read all of Girl with a Pearl Earring author Tracey Chevalier’s books and books by Chocolat author Joanne Harris.
Where will you go to next?
I’m hoping I get invited back to Tenerife but I have my foot to the floor until the New Year.
* Cara O’Sullivan sings the title role in Opera Ireland’s farewell performance of Puccini’s Tosca which runs at Dublin’s Gaiety, from November 11th to 21st. See operaireland.com
* In conversation with Genevieve Carbery