PeopleQ&A

Sarah McInerney: ‘If you look up middle-child syndrome in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of me’

The journalist who presents Drivetime on RTÉ Radio 1 and Prime Time on RTÉ One sees Ryan Reynolds playing her in a movie

Sarah McInerney: 'I hate being early. It makes me antsy.' Photograph: Dara Mac Dónaill

Sun May 19 2024 - 06:00
How agreeable are you?

I suspect this depends on who you ask.

What’s your middle name and what do you think of it?

Anne. I added the “e” after reading Anne of Green Gables when I was nine, to make it suitably exotic.

Where is your favourite place in Ireland?

My home in Howth, Co Dublin.

Describe yourself in 3 words

Dreamy. Practical. Passionate.

READ MORE
When did you last get angry?

A few months ago, when someone lied about something. (Cue Murder She Wrote theme tune)

What have you lost that you’d like to get back?

A belief that humans are inherently good.

What’s your strongest childhood memory?

Being all dressed up for something, looking in the mirror, and realising I didn’t look like the fairy princesses from the cartoons.

Where do you come in your family’s birth order, and has this defined you?

If you look up middle-child syndrome in the dictionary, you’ll find a picture of me.

What do you expect to happen when you die?

I expect to rejoin the earth, dust to dust. But I hope for something beyond my wildest imagination.

When were you happiest?

Can’t choose one. My wedding day; when my children were born; when tests ruled out a serious illness for one of my children. But increasingly, I aim for contentment over happiness.

Which actor would play you in a biopic about your life?

Ryan Reynolds.

What’s your biggest career/personal regret?

Never writing that book. But who knows?

Have you any psychological quirks?

I hate being early. It makes me antsy, like I’ve wasted crucial minutes. I could have put the clothes on the line! As a result, I’m often late.

LATEST STORIES