Despite (or perhaps because of?) hailing from the comparatively small Mayo town of Swinford, Tony McDonnell enjoys living in the bustling environs of College Street, in central Dublin. His current abode has the added advantage of being situated conveniently close to his office.
“I like the fact that not only am I close to my office," he says. "But everything else I need is within walking distance, whether it’s cafes, pubs, clubs, swimming pools, shops or whatever you want.”
Nor is he fazed by the noise. “It’s not as noisy as noisy as I thought it was going to be,” he says. “There’s more of a background hum from traffic and the odd fire engine from Tara Street Fire Station. But the continual sound has its own attractions.”
His pad is a two-storey flat above a barber shop close to Trinity College. The first impression one gets on entering is how neat and compact it is.
“It’s very utilitarian. I share the flat with two women, one works in the civil service and the other’s a student. With three of us in what is a fairly limited space we have to keep it tidy for each other.”
He also likes the flat for the view it affords. “We can look out over Trinity College from an unusual angle that not many people get to see. It’s a very refreshing view.”
McDonnell admits he’s not a natural commuter.
When he lived in Galway, he preferred a centre city residence to having to travel in from out of town.
“I don’t actually believe that commuting is a good thing anyway,” he says. “I’m not very fond of cars and I like walking. Living in the centre of a city is fine by me.”
He also relishes the social benefits of having so many busy places close to hand. These are venues where he can meet and mix with fellow students. He also believes that, as USI president, he should be able to meet individual students.
“It makes it easier for me to do my job as president of the union if I get a good feel for what problems and needs the students have,” he says. “Sometimes you find out more about their concerns over a casual coffee in a café than you do talking to them from behind a desk in a formal office.”
None of the three inhabitants of the flat are overly fond of television, so there are no rows as to who takes charge of the remote control. McDonnell is a music fan, though.
“I’m not a great collector of anything, not even CDs, even though I’m a big music fan,” he says. “CDs are very expensive if you’re a student anyway, but I have a reasonably good collection. I was recently given a compilation CD of various tracks from Kerbside, and I have the new Franz Ferdinand album.”
He keeps abreast of domestic music too. “I like a demo I have from a Swinford band called Horsebox. They’re a new band and I think they’re doing something really interesting.”
McDonnell prefers going to gigs. “I hope to catch The Coral when they play at UCD and I was sorry I missed Weezer when they played here,” he says.
He tends to listen to the radio rather than watch television. “I listen to Ian Dempsey on Today FM in the morning when I get up and I often continue listening to him after I reach the office. I like the whole Gift Grub stuff.”
He doesn’t accumulate posessions. McDonnell enjoys the idea of being able to move on with ease if and when the fancy takes him. He even left a lot of stuff in Galway behind when he moved to Dublin.
He made sure, however, to bring his books with him. “I read a lot, especially books about Ireland, its history, the conflicts and our culture.
Walter Macken is a favourite. “I love The Scorching Wind. I used to live near his house in Galway. I also enjoy the odd bit of pulp-fiction such as Frederick Forsyth or John Grisham. You need a break sometimes from the serious stuff!”
College Street brings one other key attraction. “One of the things I really like about this area is the smell from the Guinness brewery. When there’s a decent wind blowing I love that smell you get of the hops or whatever it is. It’s very evocative”.