This story was partly written in 1998 and it was not until the author was returning home from a visit to Ireland in 2000 after discovering Birr Castle that she wondered if the castle garden could be the home of the mischievous leprechaun

The seventh Earl and Countess of Rosse kindly gave their permission. There has been a castle on the site since 1170 and it has been the home of earlier generations of the present family since 1620. The castle is the oldest inhabited home in the country with beautiful gardens including many rare plants collected from around the world over the last...