Set to sparkle as The Snow Queen in this year’s Helix Panto, Irish singer, actress, and former Celtic Woman star Susan McFadden is preparing to return to the stage in a festive production packed with magic and mischief.
From childhood chaos on Cork beaches to spa-style bliss in Mexico, she shares the travel memories that have stayed with her.
As a child, we went to Trabolgan in Cork every year.
My mam and dad would absolutely stuff the car and we would head off with a load of my aunts and uncles and cousins.
We’d book two houses between around 30 of us! It was chaos, but in the best possible way.
The kids were sleeping on blow-up beds everywhere.
We would take part in all the family tournaments, taking it very seriously, and spend hours in the wave pool.
I have so many wonderful memories of these holidays.
Susan McFadden in Thailand
In 2017, my husband and I went travelling around Thailand.
It was somewhere I had always wanted to go for years, and it was absolutely worth the wait.
I loved the food, the people and the culture. Such a different way of life compared to how we live here in Ireland, and it was fascinating to see how other cultures live.
We also spent some time in an elephant sanctuary — we got to get right up close, feed and wash them. They were so beautiful. It was the highlight of the trip for me.
Susan McFadden in Dubai
Dubai! I had travelled through the airport so many times when touring with Celtic Woman — we would connect via the airport to get to Australia, South Africa, and Japan.
We toured in Japan shortly after I got married, and my husband was working on the tour also at the time, so instead of getting straight onto the connecting flight home to Dublin, we delayed our flight and spent a week in Dubai for our honeymoon.
We loved it so much that we extended our stay by two extra nights. I loved the opulence and grandeur of everything there.
Sydney.
My absolute favourite city is Sydney. I have spent a lot of time there over the years working, and have always loved my time spent there.
I love that it has the best of both worlds — the hustle and bustle of city life, but the beach right on the doorstep.
I love the sun, so that was another added bonus!
Waldorf Astoria Dubai.
We stayed at the Waldorf Astoria on the Palm in Dubai (left) for our honeymoon. The hotel is just stunning.
The breakfast buffet was mind-blowing — but for me, the best part was the television in the bath!
One of the best things about travelling around Thailand has to be the food. One of the best meals we had while we were there was from a tiny little street food stall.
The guy working there pulled up two crates for us to sit on, and we sat on the side of the road eating food from paper plates — but it was one of the best things we had ever tasted!
To be honest, my favourite thing to do while travelling is to relax! I love a good pool, a comfy sun lounger and a bar nearby.
My husband and I recently spent a week in Mexico at a 5-star all-inclusive resort. It was our first time doing the all-inclusive thing – we wanted to do it right and go all out – and we thought Mexico really knew how to do it, so we chose there.
We literally lay on the loungers and chilled out. I loved that there was absolutely nothing to do but sit back and have your meals and drinks served up to you – and no washing up!
Maldives.
The Maldives are at the top of my bucket list.
I’ve always wanted to find that pristine white sand beach with crystal clear waters, and I think the Maldives might be that place… or so I’m told! One day.
‘The Snow Queen’ will begin a seven-week run from Friday, November 21, to Sunday, January 11.
Tickets priced from €30 (plus booking fees) and are on sale now from thehelix.ie or at the Helix box office
AloJapan.com