One for the road

"I have been travelling for large parts of the year," admits the best selling author, whose first book McCarthy's Bar has sold a staggering three-quarters of a million copies.

"When I woke up the other night I hadn't a clue where I was. I didn't know which hotel I was in.

"I thought I'd just open the door and look in the corridor and perhaps I might recognise the place.

"Then I realised I was in my own home."

McCarthy will continue on his travels next week when he comes to Burnley Mechanics with his own one-man show, based partly around his second book The Road to McCarthy, already another best seller.

"The last time I was in Burnley it was to see a game at Turf Moor.

"There were still cinders on the terraces.

"Basically, I just go out on stage with a microphone, face the crowd and make 'em laugh," he says.

"I'll do a few readings from the books, interspersed with anecdotes. It's a very relaxed, informal atmosphere."

McCarthy's success as an author is remarkable. McCarthy's Bar, a one-man odyssey around Ireland in search of his roots, has been in the best-seller lists for 18 months -- and all without major publicity.

"There was no publicity budget for the book. It's all been down to word of mouth."

With its beautifully detailed observations and understated tone, McCarthy's Bar has become one of those books which is regularly bought as a present for others.

"I have had letters from people telling me that they've embarrassed themselves by laughing out loud while reading it on the train.

"I've even had a letter from someone complaining they couldn't get to sleep at night because their partner was reading the book in bed and kept laughing.

"It's amazing how it has proved so popular.

"You cannot set out to write a best-seller. Obviously you hope that it will be successful but I never expected this."

McCarthy comes across as a genuinely nice bloke -- the sort of person you'd want to spend a few hours down the pub with.

"Which is fitting really because, as any McCarthy fan will tell you, his books do tend to be full of tales of bars, late night drinking and over-indulgence, usually by the author himself.

"It's funny on tour because I'm sure half the audience expect to see some fat, tragic alcoholic stagger on to the stage," he says. "But I do like the conviviality of bars. Travelling alone can be a solitary business. I thnk that one of the reasons behind the success of McCarthy's Bar was that people could actually read about the conviviality of alcohol."

Certainly in both his books the bar is a central part, mainly as the place where conversations begin and characters are found.

"Sadly, I do think that the Great British pub is in almost terminal decline," he says."When I used to go on tour (in the past McCarthy has been both a regular on the stand-up comedy circuit and an actor) I would turn up in a pub I didn't know and could pick out the one-off pub. They've virtually disappeared these days."

McCarthy admits he is a rarity among writers in that he loves performing, to make the public appearances and to stage a one-man show.

"I do enjoy the shows," he says. "They fulfil the part of me that is a performer."

Wth two best-sellers under his belt, is number three in the pipeline?

"I've never rigorously planned a career for myself. I'm a great believer in happy accidents. I would like to write another book but there's no pressure from the publishers as to what I do.

"They've trusted my instincts so far."

Although admitting that book number three may be a project next year, McCarthy reveals that he is currently working on a screenplay for a film.

"I have been contracted to write a movie, so that's what I'm currently doing during the day and then going out at night with the show.

"But I won't do more than three shows together. I think that keeps you fresh and also you acquire so much material when you meet the readers.

"My audiences now are nothing like some of the comedy clubs where people were intent on having a wild night out, regardless of who was on.

"I get a real cross section, from students through to people in their seventies.

"Some have read the books and others are just curious or have been dragged along."

As the interview comes to a close, I tell McCarthy that I'm looking forward to Thursday night's show and that I hope to see him afterwards.

"Excellent," is his response. "We'll go for a drink in the bar."

Sounds like I've got my wish about spending some time in the pub with him after all.

Tickets for Pete McCarthy's show at Burnley Mechanics on Thursday are available from the box office on 01282 664400, priced £8.