MY CULTURAL LIFE
From Borris, Co Carlow, Sarah Breen started her career in journalism at KISS magazine. She has been published in many Irish print publications, as well as online. In 2017 she co-wrote her debut novel Oh
My God, What A Complete Aisling with her long-time friend Emer McLysaght, and it went on to become a No 1 bestseller. The second book in the phenomenally popular Aisling series, The Importance
of Being Aisling was published in 2018, and the latest book — Once, Twice, Three
Times an Aisling — is already a huge success (gillbooks.ie). She lives in Dublin with her husband and two daughters, and dreams of the day Oasis will reunite.
Movie: National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
I’ve been watching this film every Christmas for as long as I can remember. I relate very strongly to Clark Griswold — all I want is a good old-fashioned family Christmas. Something nice and wholesome, maybe with a bit of snow. Of course it never pans out like that — our family dog died on St Stephen’s Day a few years ago — but I can dream.
Band: Oasis
I’ve been fully, completely and totally obsessed with Oasis since 1994. I wrote to Peggy Gallagher when I was 16, professing my undying love for her sons. She sent me back a signed picture. I stood outside a Dublin hotel for eight hours in 2003 and managed to meet both Noel and Liam in what was probably the best day of my life. They don’t make it easy, but I’d take a bullet for either one of them and I remain hopeful that they’ll bury the hatchet and reunite.
Design: Chanel 2.55 Handbag
The Chanel 2.55 is handbag perfection. Iconic. There was a time, back in my 20s, when I was adamant I was going to save up and buy myself one. I used to visit them in the Chanel boutique in BTs. Paw them. Try them on. Wonder if I’d go calfskin or lambskin, gold or silver hardware. But I don’t think I could ever justify the price tag (€5,000-plus), even for something so utterly perfect. That’s not to say I wouldn’t accept one as a gift.
TV: 30 Rock
Tina Fey is a goddess, and she plays downtrodden Liz Lemon to a T. The writing is incredibly tight and every episode has myriad quotable lines.
Book: Rachel’s Holiday
Marian Keyes’s book was one of the books that myself and Emer McLysaght, my collaborator, bonded over when we shared a flat many moons ago. When we started plotting out our first book, Oh My God, What a Complete Aisling, we passed a well-thumbed copy back and forth as the benchmark for a perfectly observed, character-driven novel. It’s so clever and funny and special.