Loves

Cooking - The best present I ever got was a cookery course from my girlfriend. I'd always been interested in cooking but hadn't much experience and didn't understand the process of it very well. So I did this day-long course, and now one of my favourite things to do is to cook for people and have friends over. I just love going into the kitchen, closing the door and losing myself for an hour or two while I prepare everything and cook it all up. It's very gratifying when people tell me, "This is lovely." My girlfriend says it was the gift that keeps on giving as she doesn't cook anymore!

My bike - I cycle everywhere in town. I love the efficiency and the speed of it. I love taking Dublin in, and a bike is the best way to do it although I'm probably guilty of breaking this new 30km/h rule.

Golf - I'm not very good and I'm not a member of a club, but I like playing the game with friends. I love the calmness of it, its pace.

Irish Theatre - We've such a rich history of it, such a great tradition of writers. The arts is Ireland's great export in a lot of ways. Thankfully we're known for that around the world rather than our politics, or our church. I'm proud to be part of it.

'South Park' - It's hilarious, off the wall and mad, but there's also a morality to it. It does what theatre aims to do – hold up a mirror to society, especially American society.

Loathes

Going to the gym - I love the feeling afterwards, but my head is usually down and my feet are scuffing the ground as I walk into the place. I haven't been going that often recently, but there was a time when I was going three, four, five times a week.

Litter - It makes me depressed. If I saw someone littering, I wouldn't stop them. I'd probably be very Irish and complain about it to the person next to me, but if I was able to pick it up and put it in the bin myself I would, provided it wasn't a cigarette or chewing gum. Littering is disrespectful and offensive – just disgusting really.

Mice - You could give me an anaconda or a black widow spider before you give me a mouse. It's the way they move. I don't like them, I don't like the colour of them. I don't like their attitude. I'd like to think I wouldn't jump up on the table if I saw one, but I'm sure I would.

Ironing - Life is too short as far as I'm concerned. I'll do anything else. I'll mop, clean anything, but not iron. Most of the time I just don't do it. I'm a crinkly old scruff. Thankfully my girlfriend doesn't mind it so much. That's not to say she does it all the time but it's a fair enough trade, I suppose, if I do the cooking and she does a little bit of ironing.

Hidden charges - I almost feel like they're taking the mick. You buy something online, like a flight for €10, and it comes to €110 – what's the point in that?

Rory Nolan is appearing in the Abbey production of 'Macbeth', which runs until 15 May