Hello Mr Cornwell.

I assure you I have no book I want sold

I have just finished watching the available seasons of the Television show “The last Kingdom” the wonders of modern technology allow us to skip such things as opening/closing credits and get right on with this story, as the story and a cast had me and the wife doing.

As I watched it all seemed familiar to me somehow and it is only after watching and looking on the internet that I see much like one of my favourite shows from my youth, it was you who wrote the book, I of course mean Sharpe.

For the longest time I had a totally unfair dislike for Pete Postlethwaite based not only on the strength of his acting but also the strength of the writing behind the character.

While none of the actors have brought that feeling, the story itself has, as unlike Sharpe, I have always had an interest in the greater events of the time as they are closely related and intertwined with my own family name and it’s long lineage, which is claimed to pre date the Romans.

Gilla Phadraig, King of Ossory who died in 992 and who we all take our surname Fitzpatrick (one of the only pre Norman “Fitz” names) was the great grandson of a man named Cerball mac Dúnlainge who was a King of Ossory (Osraige) for 46 years, from 842-888 ad.

Accounts report during that time he repelled numerous Viking and other Irish  invasions, to the point that he was allied to someone know as Imar King of the Norsemen of all Ireland and Britain at his death in 873.

Cerball is mentioned in the Annals of Wales, apparently the only Irish king outside of Ui Neill to do so, which perhaps seeing as the high king of Ireland was married to the sister of Cerball, so if the information on the wiki about Finan is correct, My ancestor, was Finans uncle of a sort.

Well I guess it depends on what books you read hehe

I shall end this here and will be sure to pick up the books!

Thank you for some brilliant stories, I hope you are well.

JohnPaul FitzPatrick (Mac Giolla Phadraig)