History has been an absolute passion of mine since childhood when I was brought up on the stories of some noble, and less than noble, ancestors, from the reckless and rascally Colonel Thomas Blood who stole the crown jewels to the midshipman who sighted and named Pitcairn Island, and Major John Pitcairn who fired the first shot of the American War of Independence, to one of the greatest English architects, Sir Edwin Lutyens, I simply could not help being enthralled by history. I became more interested in the Medieval Period and have a Master's Degree in Public History and Cultural Heritage from Trinity College Dublin. I happen to live in one of the richest towns in Ireland in terms of extant Medieval built heritage, and and I truly delight in bringing Kilkenny's Medieval history to life with stories of those who founded, lived and thrived there. Sharing history is always a two way street and because I gain so much enjoyment from engaging with the public, I set up my own tour guiding business, Touch The Past Ireland, www.touchthepastireland.com, and conduct walking tours of Kilkenny City and historic sites such as Clonmacnoise and Holycross Abbey among many others. Should you require a personal, live tour, please contact me on +353(0)872776107 or by email at [email protected] or visit my website for more information.