Media Junkie: Darragh McManus

Darragh McManus, writer

Favourite book:
1984 by George Orwell. Sheer perfection.

The last book read?
Don DeLillo's Falling Man. A tremendous novel from a true master, his best since Underworld.

Daily newspapers you read?
It usually depends on what I find lying around the office. If I was buying, the Indo for Irish matters, the Guardian for world news.

Sunday papers you read?
The Sunday Times. AA Gill is a veritable god among journalistic mortals. Though it takes me forever to dump all the supplements I have no interest in reading.

Your favourite website?
guardian.co.uk, rottentomatoes.com, imdb.com, YouTube, various GAA websites.

Your favourite news websites?
There's such a thing as a news website?

Favourite search engine?
Google.

How much television do you watch?
Not much – as the song says, it's the drug of the nation.

What TV programmes do you watch?
News, the odd current-affairs programme or documentary, The Simpsons, The Sunday Game, Criminal Minds, any decent movies that are on, and Fair City for ironic fun from time to time.

How much radio do you listen to?
Again, not a lot, as I am a woefully bad morning person and can't stand any noise early in the day, and am generally at work all afternoon. But I do listen a fair bit in the evening and weekends.

What radio programmes do you listen to?
Nothing regular, but a good few of the newsy shows, documentaries, arts reviews, some sports stuff at weekends, Lyric every now and again, and pop music programmes with extremely retro playlists.

Blogs you read?
None. I have major problems with the very notion of ‘blogs'.

Do you blog?
See above. (Though I have one blog entry on my book's website, so I am clearly a hypocrite.)

Guilty pleasure?
Late night re-runs of Hart to Hart. Although come to think of it, I don't feel guilty about it at all.

GAA Confidential (Everything you never knew you wanted to know about Gaelic games) by Darragh McManus is published by Hodder Headline
Ireland, €10.99