The White House Pub
I live in Bunratty, so I'd like the odd visit to Durty Nelly's. But I like the White House as well. They both have that old-style character that helps create a unique atmosphere.

Hurling
I grew up in East Galway, which is real hurling country. My local club would be Sarsfields, who won a couple of All-Ireland club titles in the 1990s. I'd definitely consider myself a big hurling man. I suppose now that I'm living and working in the Limerick area, I like to see local teams doing well. They did well to get the All-Ireland final last year, so you'd hope they can go one better one day.

Being Chamber President
I love it. I believe in meeting people and making contacts, that just comes as part of the job when you manage two hotels. But I've found that the role with the Chamber fits well with my own job. I enjoy the challenge and I enjoy being involved. I feel that the local public and business community have given a lot to the Clarion and myself in the last six years, and I'm just happy to be able to give something back.

City Centre Pedestrianisation
It's given so much more heart to the city centre. Once upon a time, you'd hear of people organising shopping trips to Dublin out of necessity, but they don't need to do that anymore with the quality of shops opening up on Bedford Row and other places. The city centre has a terrific feel to it today, and you can only imagine that'll get better when the Opera Centre is finished.

Dining Out
I think that one of the benefits of the clutch of new hotels opening in Limerick is the quality of restaurants they have. I enjoy eating at the Absolute and the Marriott, for example. Granted, I would have a soft spot for our own restaurant here at the Clarion but I think that, in general, there is far greater choice today when it comes to dining out. Though I am just as partial to a bag of chips at Luigi's as well.

Our Economic Outlook
I'd be very optimistic for Limerick and for the entire region. You only have to look at Jim Power's recent report. Here, we have huge infrastructure investments on our doorstep; we have terrific educational avenues in UL and LIT; we're very well placed strategically with major new developments set to take place in the near future. Of course we're entering into a slower time, but there are a lot of people here who are willing to put their shoulder to the wheel and support the sort of economic progress and development we're capable of.

Quality of Life
I think the quality of life we enjoy here is second to none. People often don't realise that; sometimes you need to take a step back and just look: the price of houses are lower than other cities; the cost of renting is lower; the cost of childcare is lower; the commute distances are shorter. Add to that the rich arts, culture and sporting climate and I think you'll find this is quite an attractive place to live and work.