1. When did you think about a career in writing and what were your first steps into it?
At a ridiculously late age. I was in my forties when I realised that if I didn't start writing then, I probably never would. I wrote and re-wrote until I had something that I wasn't embarrassed to show to other people. It still needed a huge amount of work but would eventually become my first book. Now, I wonder how I managed so long without writing.
2. Best gigs you've been to?
That's a hard question. I recently saw a list of musicians who had died from Covid. One of the first names on that list was John Prine. I remember seeing him in the Olympia in Dublin in the early 90s, and it was a magical night.
3. Fantasy wedding/birthday party band?
Bruce Springsteen with the E Street Band. I first saw them at Slane when I was 16 and have seen them a ridiculous number of times since.
4. The record you would take to a desert island?
Bruce Springsteen's Darkness on the Edge of Town which I bought, on vinyl of course, just before that concert. The next-door neighbours must have heard it so many times that it surely lives on in their nightmares.
5. And the book you would bring to a desert island?
For some reason, I've never got around to reading the Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. It's incredibly long and would hopefully keep me occupied until the rescue boat arrived.
6. Top three films?
Brokeback Mountain, Working Girl and Spotlight. Journalists always love films about journalism, but for me, there's something special about this. Every little detail rings true, and the story - about the cover-up of clerical child abuse in Boston - is devastating.
7. Worst film you've seen?
I've tried with the superheroes but they're just not for me.
8. Favourite authors?
Anne Tyler. Of all her books the one I love most is The Amateur Marriage. I couldn't tell you how many times I've read it. Every time, I take away something new. The writing is so beautiful, you feel as though you could sing the words.
Maeve Binchy. Not just for the fascinating characters and memorable stories but also because she opened the door for many Irish women writers.
Michael Connelly. The one book I buy every year is the latest Michael Connelly. I love Harry Bosch and am in awe of the way Connelly continues to come up with new challenges for him.
9. Sports you most enjoy and your top team?
I enjoy most sports, especially hurling. I'm from Shannon, so Clare are my team. We've had some brilliant days - and some pretty awful ones.
10. Ideal holiday destination?
Like many people, during the pandemic I've rediscovered Ireland, particularly my home county. Last June we spent a week in the Burren, and it really is an extraordinarily special place. All of the flowers were in bloom, and I heard a cuckoo for the first time since I was a child.
11. Pet hates?
Currently, people who insist that their way is the only way and anyone with a different point of view must be stupid. Oh, and smugness.
12. What's your favourite:
Dinner? Anything made by my mother.
Dessert? Something with lots of apple.
Drink? Very dry, very cold white wine.
13. Who is your best friend and how do you know each other?
I know it sounds corny, but my husband, Eamon Quinn, who's from Belfast, is my best friend. We met when he accompanied a friend of his who was a guest on a radio programme I was presenting at the time.
14. Is there a God?
I hope so.
:: Rachael English's new book, The Letter Home, tells the story of two women, one in present-day West Clare and one in Boston, whose stories are connected by a third person, who lived during the Famine. It is published by Hachette Ireland and is out now.
