Dermot Murnaghan's favourite beaches, souvenirs and scrapes with the police

'I once escaped the Greek police through a fire exit'

(BBC)

Visiting my dad's family is my earliest holiday memory.

I remember going to the west coast of Ireland, aged five, and riding a donkey on the beach. My granny bought me a Donegal tweed jumper, which was incredibly scratchy and itchy but she insisted I wore it.

Last year's summer holiday was to Ibiza.

Not because I'm a dedicated clubber but my teenage children are. At its core, Ibiza is a charming island. We stayed away from madness in Santa Eulalia on the east coast, close to lots of nice beaches and just a short taxi ride away from Pacha for the foam parties or whatever abomination the kids wanted.

My most prized souvenir is a piece of origami from Japan.

I visited Hiroshima 20 years ago to report on the 50th anniversary of the atomic bomb and I met one of the survivors: a lady covered in burn scars who was the closest person to the epicentre to survive. We spent an hour making origami together and talking about peace and reconciliation. It was such a powerful and moving experience.

I got arrested in Greece.

I was working in Thessaloniki and we were trying to get an interview with the local bad guy, who, it was said was mates with the police chief. So, the film crew and I got hauled in at 4am on trumped-up charges but I managed to get away before they could chuck me in a cell. I sneaked through a fire exit and headed straight to the airport.

Don't dismiss DC.

I've been to the American capital several times to report on politics but I recently got some time actually to explore it and it surprised me a great deal. Most people who head to the east coast of the US go straight to New York, Boston or Miami, but Washington DC is a vibrant city in its own right. You could spend a month visiting all the museums and still not see everything – and the food is fantastic.

My mum is part of the Chipping Norton set.

She's 82 years old and she discovered it well before the likes of Cameron and Clarkson. The Cotswolds have become my favourite part of the country. I spend a lot of time there, cycling around all the little villages and undulating countryside and, of course, visiting Mum. She once saw David Cameron in Sainsbury's.

I love London.

It's not where I'm from, but all my cultural references come back to the capital. I once got up early on Christmas Day and went for a bike ride from the Tower of London to Buckingham Palace via St Paul's, Fleet Street, the Strand and Trafalgar Square. I had the whole city to myself. It was magical.

Best beach? Head to Ireland.

Inch Beach in County Kerry – three miles of sand that juts out into the Atlantic – is absolutely glorious, backed by dunes and surrounded by mountains. It's also home to one of the last truly authentic Irish pubs: Foley's. The first time I went in there, I was with my young daughter who was ill and vomited all over the place. The landlady just turned around and said: “Ah, no bother. She's not the first.”

Dog is tough and a little gamey.

I tried it in a rough-and-ready restaurant in Korea. A load of raw meat was brought to the table, which you cooked yourself over burning charcoal placed in the middle. It was served with spicy cabbage but it wasn't until I asked my guide to translate the sign above the door that I realised what I was eating. It said: “Best dog meat in Seoul.”

I want to cycle across Australia.

It's a country high on my wish list, particularly after recently working with Sir David Attenborough and hearing all about his experiences of returning to the Great Barrier Reef after 60 years. I'd love to see it for myself with Sir David in tow to tell me everything about everything.

Dermot Murnaghan is working with the Duchenne Children's Trust to promote the charity fundraising platform Pledgit (bit.ly/EndDuchenne)