The shape I'm in: Freddie White, singer/songwriter

Freddie would invite his best friends to his dream dinner party. "You can insult and tease them and they just come back for more," he says.

I’M looking at a picture of what has to be one of the most endearing dogs that has ever set paw on Earth.

All chocolate box eyes and white fluff, he’s called Mr Jones, the much-loved terrier owned by singer/songwriter Freddie White, who emailed the heart-melting shot to me.

No matter what continent the singer/songwriter has rocked up to, Mr Jones has been a constant companion.

“He’s a rescue dog from Limerick. He has travelled the entire world with us. When we moved to Australia, we brought him with us and when we moved to New York we brought him with us again,” says the Cobh native who has two adult children from a previous marriage.

He moved from Sydney to the Big Apple in November with his wife Trish, who works at Pfizer headquarters.

Though the 65-year-old has settled in quickly, he has no deep ties to the city.

“I can live anywhere because mostly my career is based in Ireland. So I travel home once a year and do a nice tour and then I tip away wherever else I am.”

* Freddie White performs Triskel Christchurch Thursday, July 27, booking 021 4272022 / www.triskelartscentre.ie

What shape are you in?

Pretty decent considering I don’t take that good care of myself. I think I have good genes. I don’t go to the gym. I did yoga and pilates for a while but I let that lapse.

I know I’ll go back to it at some stage. Basically, I walk the dog — that’s about it.

What are your healthiest eating habits?

My philosophy is if it tastes good, it probably is good. I do a lot of cooking for myself and my wife and I don’t use processed ingredients. My wife is the breadwinner and I’m the bread cooker!

What are your guiltiest pleasures?

Eating the odd bag of Tayto and some other processed crap that I probably shouldn’t eat but I keep it to a minimum.

You can get Irish butter here which is nice. I don’t feel guilty about eating that.

What would keep you awake at night?

I’m not a worrier by nature. But I do tend to wake up at night and usually I find it difficult enough to go back to sleep. I just lie awake and maybe read a book. I could say a good book would keep me awake at night.

How do you relax?

I’m a bit over-relaxed actually. I like entertaining, having people over for dinner. Conversation, a bit of music, watching movies, and a bit of football on the telly. It’s handy living in New York for that.

The Champions League is on during the afternoons here. My wife is at work and she doesn’t have to suffer through it. I love the game played beautifully. Also, I’m a big fan of Irish rugby.

Who would you invite to your dream dinner party?

My best friends. We just have great crack and conversation. You can insult and tease people and they just come back for more.

I’m always reticent about meeting people that I admire because you are in danger of corrupting your admiration of them by being personally involved with them.

What’s your favourite smell?

The Irish countryside in spring. That was before the advent of pig slurry. Now when you step off the plane that’s what you smell. It’s a real shame.

What would you like to change about your appearance?

Sometimes when I’m out with the dog I catch sight of myself in the shop window and I’ll say to myself ‘that homeless person looks familiar’. I do look better at night when I clean up to go out and play or whatever.

I’d like to grow my hair again. And I’d like to have a nice set of teeth. When I was a teenager, the cure for a toothache was to yank it out.

I’m missing quite a few teeth. Having said that, I’ve taken care of them since my 30s. They don’t look great but they work.

When is the last time you cried?

A couple of weeks ago, I was listening to the Prairie Home Companion, a radio show here. The new host is a guy called Chris Thile — he’s an incredible musician, mandolin player and singer.

He played this incredibly blistering set of Irish tunes. It was just unbelievably brilliant. I was crying like a baby. He’s just so bloody good.

What traits do you least like in others?

Dishonesty, duplicity.

What traits do you least like about yourself?

I can be a bit impatient. I tend not to suffer fools. I always end up feeling bad about it if I’m short with people. I never mean to be.

Do you pray?

No. Not since I was a baby.

What would cheer up your day?

I tend to look at the bright side of most things. The sun is shining here today. The blossoms are starting to come out.

I’ll be going out in a minute with my dog. He’s a great source of joy.