So what stands out as the highlight for you?
It was great touring South-East Asia. That was a highlight musically. We were in certain places for the first time. It was quite scary actually - but playing to people out there and seeing the Philippines and Indonesia, it was very interesting. And it's that kind of thing, I think, that makes what we do worthwhile, in that you get such a broader perspective of the world. And you get really minuscule: the more you see, the more unimportant you get, and I love that. We're all important in our own way; but we don't mean anything to so many people - and that's right, that's the way it should be. All that's begotten is born and dies. And that's it!

You mentioned there that it was a bit scary playing in Indonesia. What was the problem?
Well, September 11th had happened about four days before we were due to fly to that side of the world. That shocked everybody and made everybody rethink what they do in life and why they do it, and what situations they put themselves in and how far they are away from their loved ones and that kind of thing. So, as was the case with everybody else, we did that and the excitement of going on tour, of getting on a flight, that we would usually feel, was kind of gone. It was very tense.

So why did you go ahead and do it?
We had already cancelled Indonesia two years ago because of the struggles within Indonesia and we had postponed that whole South East Asian tour because of my illness back in January, February. So we felt we had to do this and it was the right thing to do, but we also decided that we would have the situation monitored everyday. And going into Jakarta was pretty scary. Everything was supposed to be OK, but we literally... you could feel the tension, you actually could. It was weird for me looking down at the audience and looking down particularly at some women - now not all are like this, but some were in the whole (muslim) dress - and looking and knowing that I encompass everything that she isn't and that she can't be. You know, I stand for the opposite. It was quite weird to play there.

Was there any stage at which there was a direct threat to you physically?
We got out by the skin of our teeth, really. The fighting started literally the day we left. And everybody that was western had to stay inside or get out of the country somehow. It was really one of those situations where you asked yourself: 'should we have taken that risk?'. I still don't know. But the gig was great.

Was Indonesia anything like what you expected?
You know, Ireland has suffered from the reputation we have of war-torn island. I remember looking at the news in America going 'God, I wonder where that is, that place looks like it's having an awful time?' And it would be Ireland. And thinking about the fact that that was the representation, and knowing that the reality here is that it's a lovely place to live. It's fantastic. And knowing that that deterred artists from coming to play here or in the North - I think we felt extra sensitive then. There are people who want to hear your music. We've been No.1 so many times in Indonesia. It's not fair to rob these people of entertainment, in a place that needs more escape than anywhere through music. So that was more prominent than other things. And a gut feeling that it was going to be OK.

So what would you think of as the low point of the year for you personally?
It was scary when I got sick. Everybody knows that, with pain, it's a completely subjective thing. But I was very frightened. I couldn't hear. My ears went completely and the pain was excruciating. It happened suddenly. I woke up at three in the morning and I could actually hear things you don't want to hear. You hear your body working. I heard my heart beat in a way I never had before. And it was really frightening with everybody around talking to you and you can't really hear them. It was awful. And then it was 'get the ferry home' and then it got more serious, with everything being cancelled. I love my sight a lot, but God, my hearing.., there was a fear that my ears might be ruined and if that happened, all my music would be gone. It would only exist in my head, to the rhythm of my heartbeat, that I'd be hearing very clearly. It was quite frightening.

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