Born in East Germany, Katrin Pietzonka studied English & Music at Leipzig University to become a secondary school teacher. She qualified as a Tour Guide for Ireland and Northern Ireland in 1997. In 2008 she defended her PhD on Songs about the Troubles in Northern Ireland. Her book is dedicated to the late BBC broadcaster Tony McAuley, who had helped her with much of her research in Northern Ireland. To mark the 10th anniversary of his death her PhD project is finally being published and is still as enlightening as ever.
