PT
As a child growing up in Ireland, on a beautiful day playing on what was known as a cock of hay (or haystack).
The Guardian, The Q&A, The Guardian, 16 August 2014 source ↗
The question
What period or moment in your life brought you the most joy?Originally asked
The Guardian, to a different person each week, The Q&A
Asked in 52 of the 131 consecutive instalments of The Guardian's The Q&A harvested on 2026-08-29.
You answer as yourself. Nobody on FLAPSS answers as anybody else.
Others on this question
View all 577 →
Robson Green
British actor
When I landed the role in Soldier Soldier. I thought, “Oh my goodness, I’m going to be doing something that makes me happy, I’m doing it abroad and they’re going to pay me.” I was 26.
Chris Froome
British cyclist
On the podium of the 100th Tour de France last year.
Robert Carlyle
Scottish actor
The birth of my first child, July 4 2002.
Max Whitlock
English artistic gymnast
Standing on the podium in Rio: winning a gold medal for the pommel was 100% the pinnacle of my career.
More from Philip Treacy
View profile →The Queen, because she's kept hats alive in the imagination of people all over the world.
My friends dying: Alexander (McQueen), Isabella (Blow), a friend of cancer last year.
More on time & hindsight
- What lesson has mattered most in your life? 138 answers
- What counsel would you give your twenty-year-old self — and what should they ignore? 78 answers
- What worries you about getting older? 61 answers
- What counsel has proved most valuable to you? 28 answers
- If you could put a message on a giant billboard, what would it say and why? 25 answers
- What line from a parent, teacher, or mentor do you still repeat to yourself? 23 answers
Also answered this
Dawn O’Porter, Lisa Marie Presley, Chris Packham, Ai Weiwei, Frank Bowling, Nadiya Hussain
Search the directory for somebody in particular.
Explore further
- All time & hindsight questions
- The The Q&A questionnaire — 25 questions from the same format
- Explore the archive — by field, age, era, and subject