1 Up and at it – what is your morning routine?I wake up early, between five o'clock and six o'clock. I usually check my emails and spend a bit of time on social media before getting up. Some mornings I meet friends to get a walk in before work, and the odd morning I manage to make it to the gym. I love having my 10,000 steps done before the day has even properly started.
2 What might you eat in a typical working day for...
Breakfast? Porridge during the week and eggs at the weekend.
Lunch? When I do have lunch, it has to be soup from Jelly Bean on the Upper Newtownards Road – freshly made every day.
Evening meal? I recently bought an air fryer and enjoy experimenting with chicken and lots of different types of vegetables, which I cook and then pour into a pot with some stir-fry sauce for a bit of flavour. Otherwise, it's something convenient from M&S.
3 Is nutrition important to you – do you take health supplements?
Last year, my doctor put me on Vitamin D and Vitamin B12 and advised me to remain on them for the rest of my life. I had been suffering from fatigue and breathlessness for well over a year before discovering that my iron levels were very low.
4 Ever been on a diet – if so, how did it go?
I recently started intermittent fasting and I am finding it not only easy to stick to, but also very effective. I try to fast for 16 hours per day and only eat within an eight-hour window. I have already lost some weight and have noticed a difference in my clothes.
Read more:
Linda Ervine on being 'hardened' to hatred against Irish language
'People know Irish is not a threat to them' - Linda Ervine
Irish language activist Linda Ervine and young loyalist Joel Keys to address Carlingford event
5 Weekend treat?
Shopping, walking, just having time to myself.
6 How do you keep physically and mentally fit?
I try to go to the gym regularly, but it's a bit of a chore. I do Pilates and I love to walk, but not on my own. One of my favourite sayings in Irish is 'Giorraíonn beirt bóthar' which means, 'Two shorten a road.' Walking while talking with a friend is one of my favourite things. It keeps me fit and helps me to de-stress.
7 Best tip for everyday fitness? Keep moving. My children bought me a FitBit for my birthday and it encourages me to walk every day.
8 Were you a fan of schools sports/PE or do you have a memory from those days that you would rather forget?
I hated PE at school and either mitched off or forged notes to avoid doing it.
9 Teetotal or tipple?
Teetotal. I stopped drinking when I was 27. I know some people can drink responsibly, but many can't. I think the media put too much focus on alcohol as a central element of celebrations and encourage young people to believe that you can't have a good time unless you're drunk.
10 Stairs or lift?
Always the stairs, because I'm frightened of lifts. I think that, once that door closes, it won't open again and I'll be trapped in there.
11 What book are you currently reading?
A friend recently gave me The Colony by Audrey Magee. I have been drawn into the world it describes of an Irish-speaking island off the coast of Ireland.
12 Best Netflix?
I love a good series and am presently watching Firefly Lane.
13 Most surprising thing you've learned about yourself over the pandemic?
That I could enjoy spending so much time at home. When I started my job as manager of the Turas Project in 2012, my life became 12-hour days, working nine-to-nine and sometimes working seven days a week. There was also a lot of travel, staying overnight after doing talks or getting home very late in the evening. That totally changed in March 2020. I spent more time in my house during the pandemic than during the entire time that I had lived there. I also gave up ironing.
14 Any new skills or hobbies?
I'm continually working hard to improve my level of Irish and I am now in the third year of my degree in Irish at Queen's University. Between work and study, it doesn't leave much time for anything else.
15 How do you relax?
I love doing 1,000-piece jigsaws.
16 What are your goals for 2023?
My main goal for the past few years has been to develop our integrated Irish-medium nursery school. I want to see it becoming a bunscoil [primary school] and to make integrated Irish-medium education available to parents within east Belfast.
17 What time do you get to bed and do you think you get enough sleep?
I usually go to bed before midnight. I'm always tired at night, but full of life in the morning, so I must be getting enough sleep – but I think my body clock is a bit awry.
18 Biggest gripe or regret?
I deeply regret that I wasted my school years, mitching off and avoiding learning. I didn't return to education until I was in my 30s and it was then that I discovered that I was capable of academic success.
19 Have your priorities in life or perspectives changed?
The older I get, the more contented I become. I enjoy the company of friends, I love my job and I am thankful for my family. I have no desire for expensive things and I am happy with my lot.
20 Has coronavirus – or any health epiphany or life event – changed your attitude towards your own mortality?
I have suffered from various health problems over the last few years. Along with just getting older, this has increased my awareness that, within the next 10 years or so, I will be moving towards the final chapter of my life. I find myself thinking a lot more about my grandparents and being able to better understand them now that I am the age that they were when I was young.
See ebm.org.uk/turas for more information on Turas
