My favourite room: Inside the Co Monaghan artists’ cottage where Alec Guinness, Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh have stayed

Annaghmakerrig is an artists’ retreat, with its gorgeous grounds providing the perfect location for those who go there. Lucky creatives Rory Pierce and Priscilla Morris have a home nearby

Writer Priscilla Morris and composer/musician Rory Pierce outside their gate lodge in the grounds of Annaghmakerrig. The building dates from the 19th century and guests there have included writers, artists and performers such as Laurence Olivier and Vivien Leigh. Photo: Tony Gavin

Mary O’Sullivan

We in Ireland were probably a nation of tea drinkers once, but coffee has gained such a strong foothold that many people only drink certain brands and make their coffee in a very particular way — and “don’t talk to me till I’ve had my coffee” has become a popular saying.

Musician and composer Rory Pierce is one such person to the point that he even travels with his own coffee pot. “I don’t go anywhere in my life without my Bialetti Italian espresso coffee pot and a sack of good coffee even when doing long-distance hiking on the Pacific Crest Trail,” he says.