The following interview with Barbara was published in 1992, part of 'The Guardian' newspaper's weekly questionnaire series.
MY PERFECT WEEKEND
Where would you go?
To the west of Ireland, where I have been going since I was 16. My husband and I had our honeymoon, a month before we were married, in Co. Clare in July 1984. The weather was foul and we stood on the cliffs being lashed by gales, but it was a brilliant holiday.
How would you get there?
I would fly Ryanair to Knock, in Co. Mayo. Knock airport is a scream: it's little more than a Nissen hut on top of a mountain. One hundred years ago the villagers of Knock saw an apparition of the Virgin Mary and built a shrine. The local priest raised the money to build the airport in 1986: he was convinced that pilgrims would come from all over the world.
Where would you stay?
The west of Ireland is beautiful, from Donegal down to West Cork, so I'd hire a car, consult 'The Good Hotel Guide' and take pot-luck. I prefer hotels to bed and breakfast places: I always get embarrassed in other people's houses.
Who would be your perfect companion?
If my husband, Oliver, was unavailable, I'd take Bernard Theobald, my manager for 20 years. People say we are more like an old cantankerous married couple than Oliver and I.
What essential piece of clothing or kit would you take?
A pair of walking boots and a Barbour with a hood.
What medicines would you take?
Multi-vitamins.
What would you have to eat?
Smoked salmon and soda bread.
What would you have to drink?
Draught stout.
Which books would you take to read?
Books about Irish churches and castles and gaelic traditions.
What music would you listen to?
I'd like to go to a fleadh, an irish music festival.
What would you watch on television?
'The Late Late Show', which goes out live on Friday night. It's an anarchic show presented by Gay Byrne, who interviews everbody from nuns to rock bands and holds forums on abortion and divorce. It's an Irish institution.
Would you play any games or sport?
Pitch and putt wearing my Barbour and boots because it's bound to be pouring with rain.
What luxury would you take?
Diamond earrings and the leopard-skin print Gianni Versace suit that I wore on tour this summer.
Who would be your least welcome guest?
Anyone trying to make me sing or sign autographs.
Which newspapers or journals would you read?
'The Irish Times'.
What three things would you leave behind?
My children.
What three things would you most like to do?
Watch jumbo jets flying over Mizen Head on their way to America. Listen to Liam O'Flynn, a wonderful Irish Uillean piper. Look round some Georgian houses and dream of buying one.
To whom would you send a postcard?
If I took Bernard with me, it would be only polite to send a postcard to his wife.
What souvenir would you take home?
Peat to burn on the fire.
What would you like to find when you got home?
A letter from Mary Robinson saying she had made me an honorary Irishwoman and that I could return anytime for free.
