Paul Davenport is pipe major of Ellan Vannin Pipes and Drums.
A recruitment drive was held earlier this week to encourage new players to join them. Paul is a self-employed e-Gaming and compliance consultant. He is married with two children and lives in Union Mills.
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What is your idea of a perfect meal?
Roast beef, Yorkshire pudding, crispy roasties and a good thick gravy. Has to be Manx beef and local veg, of course.
What is your favourite way to relax?
Walking the dog in any of our beautiful plantations, glens or beaches.
What is your greatest extravagance?
Bagpipe paraphernalia and gadgets.
Do you have any pets?
A 14-month-old golden retriever, Alfie.
What is your greatest achievement?
My 30-year marriage, which has produced my two lovely daughters.
What is your favourite time of the year?
Spring, when the chilly early mornings start to show a promise of summer to come.
What is the first job you ever had?
After school/ summer ‘chemical boy’ at SR Keig the photographers. We mixed huge vats of chemicals for processing films. In the summer we could process 1,000 films a day!
Do you have any irrational fears?
Spiders. My father used to say the only good place for a spider is under the sole of your boot!
What is your worst habit?
Starting DIY jobs and not finishing them.
What is your favourite book?
The one book I go back to is ‘The Collected Poems of T.E.Brown’. I’ve spent years trying to learn ‘Betsy Lee’ and would love to have the confidence to recite some of it.
What is your favourite TV programme?
Dad’s Army.
What is your favourite band/artist at the moment?
Caro Emerald, and the Shotts and Dykehead Caledonia Pipe Band.
What is your favourite part of the Isle of Man?
The south west coast from Glen Maye to the Sound.
What is the last show/band that you saw live?
In October we went with friends to see Caro Emerald at the O2 in London. Her show was amazing and the musicians she gigs with are first class. We also went to see The Commitments at the Palace Theatre.
If time/money were no object, what would be your perfect day?
Sunrise over Uluru, Australia; lunch on the Grand Canal in Venice; an afternoon in Disney’s Magic Kingdom, back home for dinner for the aforementioned roast beef, then sunset on the rocks at Niarbyl; all with the family.
Choose three people, dead or alive, to invite to dinner?
My mother, who died when I was young, and any of my grandparents, all of whom had passed away before I was born. I’d like to hear some old family stories and learn what they think of me.
Which do you prefer:
Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings? Lord of the Rings.
Cats or dogs? Dogs.
Birthday or Christmas? Christmas.
Starter or pudding? Savoury starter.
Quiet night in or night out? Partial to both; depends on the company.
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If you or someone you know would like to answer the same questions, email Jackie Turley on jackie.turley@newsiom.co.im or call 695658.
The iomtoday spotlight used to be known as the Courier Questionnaire and has recently been resurrected as Island Profile, which appears in the Manx Independent each week.