Northwest coast, Isle of Man

Long stony-sandy beach, strong breeze blowing blonded hair in my face, sunlight glaring from water between here and Erin. Faint, distant, blue land to the northwest … Scotland. Otherwise nothing except the radio waves of Ireland, Wales, England, Scotland. For this moment, I am King of Man and the Isles. Strangely, this reminds me of Nantucket, 1000s of miles away. I have seen so much this year and always I return to the sea: the beginning and the end of all things. A lone, droning fishing boat – alone in an empty, shining sea.

There was a Roman fleet stationed in the Irish Sea for centuries. Our modern world order is not yet that permanent. In the Manx Museum in Douglas, the Celts were described in terms of a cultural, technological and linguistic movement or influence rather than a different, invading people. That description was correctly applied to the Vikings! The "Celts" are the same people as the builders of Newgrange, just at a different phase. It is better likened to the coming of Christianity: not new people, just new influences.

No Union Jack flies over this island because it is not part of the United Kingdom.