The story of how one woman's life was transformed by a remarkable house on the Dingle peninsula in Ireland. It's a life-affirming tale of rediscovering lost values and cherishing loved ones and the communities we live in.

'There is something entirely Irish about her writing: fresh, daring, curious and blazingly beautiful. Whatever she turns her bright eye on comes alive: the soft wild country of Kerry and the Dingle Peninsula, old half-remembered stories, and the pattern of life in rural Ireland. As you read on you begin to believe that you own the house on the hillside, that you are part of the smoky circle of musicians, that the seaweed you spread on the earth will produce a fine crop of potatoes. Wise, funny and touching, this book is a portrait of friendships, customs and folklore of Ireland; but what stays with you is harder to catch, like smoke or running water. It is the taste of something we all once knew, ever-present if only you look for it. Completely enchanting.' -- Joanna Lumley

Felicity Hayes-McCoy was born in Dublin, Ireland. She read English and Irish language and literature at UCD before moving to England in the 1970s to train at The Drama Studio, London. Her work as a writer includes television and radio drama, features, documentaries, dramatisations and adaptations; screenplays; music theatre; children's books, and interactive multimedia products. She and her husband, opera director Wilfred Judd, live in Corca Dhuibhne and in Bermondsey, London. She blogs about life in both places on her website www.felicityhayesmccoy.co.uk