A WIRRAL author is set to celebrate the borough’s Viking past in a public talk at Linghams, Heswall.

The third edition of Ingimund’s Saga: Viking Wirral was written by Steve Harding who is professor of applied biochemistry at the University of Nottingham.

Steve instigated the DNA survey of North West England looking for Viking ancestry and has been honoured by the King of Norway for his work on raising awareness of the Vikings in Wirral and the North West.

Ingimund’s Saga tells the story of a group of Viking settlers from Scandinavia who arrived on the shores of north Wirral around 1,100 years ago after being driven out of Ireland.

The settlers then established a community with a border, a leader, its own language and a place of government – the Thing at Þingvöllr (Thingwall).

The book has been updated to incorporate the identification of the mysterious Dingesmere in the Battle of Brunanburh, and the importance and relation of Wirral to the wider Viking Commonwealth which included the Isle of Man, North Wales, Scotland and Ireland.

It also includes the results from the Wirral and West Lancashire Viking DNA project, where up to 50% of the DNA of men from old Wirral and West Lancashire families appear to be Scandinavian in origin.

‘The Vikings of Wirral’ talk will take place at Linghams Booksellers in Heswall on Wednesday May 10 at 6.30pm.

Tickets cost £5 and include a £5 discount off the cost of the book.

To book a ticket call 0151 342 7290.