About the Author

Peter Burke was born in Wellington New Zealand and educated at St Francis Xavier's Primary School in Porirua and St Patrick's College Wellington. He has worked for more than fifty years in the media as a journalist in television, radio, print and public relations. Peter is a specialist agricultural journalist and is a life member of the NZ Guild of Agricultural Journalists and the Science Communicators Association of New Zealand.

He has travelled widely overseas in the course of his work covering major political and trade talks in Europe, Asia, North America and the Pacific.

He is a keen, rather than good, golfer, loves Celtic and classical music and lives on a small farm north of Wellington.  Peter regards Ireland as his second home and is a frequent visitor to the emerald isle. His visits there have led him to develop a love of Irish and family history – hence this book. He also has a strong interest in Maori culture and sees a lot of similarities between it and Irish culture.