Are you a generally agreeable person?
Yes, consistently.
What is your middle name and what is your opinion of it?
My middle name is Vincent. Initially, my name was supposed to be Patrick Vincent, in honour of my mother’s father, Patrick Burns. However, my maternal grandmother was opposed to me being called Patrick, so I was given the name Vincent. I believe her opposition came as a result of the terrible memories she held of her husband’s death in a violent incident at a Glasgow stockyard when my mother was just three years old.
What is your favourite location in Ireland?
I have a particular fondness for Dún Laoghaire, my current place of residence, and Broadford in County Limerick, the place where I grew up.
Describe yourself in three different terms.
Elderly, irritable, unrealistic.
When was the last time you felt anger?
I had a recent experience of rage, provoked by the handling of asylum seekers, the proposed weakening of inheritance tax laws, and the deliberate technological avoidance that allows cars to exceed speed limits, thus increasing the risk of fatal road accidents.
Is there something or someone you’ve lost that you wish you could regain?
I’d like to have back Kathleen Burns, my mother; Seamus Browne, my father, and my dear friends Gerry Barry and Dermot Lavery.
Can you recall your potent childhood memory?
The joy of residing in a tight-knit village where everyone was familiar with everyone else.
In your family’s birth sequence, where do you feature, and did this position influence your character?
I’m the second child in the family. My older sister, Mary, passed away two years ago, and I have two younger brothers: David and Malachy. I suspect any implications this might have are likely psychological theorising.
What do you think happens after death?
Nothing, because I won’t be alive anymore.
Can you identify the happiest moment in your life?
The most joyous moments for me occur when I am with the ones I adore: my wife Jean, my daughters Emma and Julia, and my grandchildren Mia, Sophie and Layla. There’s another grandchild on the way.
Which actor do you think would be the best choice to portray you in a biographic film about your life?
Maureen Potter.
What has been your major career or personal disappointment?
I deeply regret that I took far too long in my journalist profession to acknowledge the dominance of the inequality issue.
Do you have any oddities in terms of psychology?
Every conceivable one.