In his brilliant book, ‘Blood of the Isles’, Bryan Sykes explores the genetic roots of Britain and Ireland’s Celtic history - through DNA blood testing. It is a fascinating read, but to cut a complicated story short – a huge proportion of us have retained our Celtic lineage through the genes of our mothers. They have remained ‘stubbornly Celtic’ despite countless male invasions from varying parts of Europe. The simple truth that "our history is written in our genes", is an intoxicating thought, which led to a Celtic obsession and subsequently to Hiraeth.

The characters and action in Hiraeth belong to Wales and Ireland, and though all the Celtic nations share an interwoven history, I have not told the stories of Cornwall, Scotland, Brittany or the Isle of Man here.