This book looks at how the emphasis has now changed from learning to experiencing poetry. Thomas Welsh draws upon his 25 years of experience in Irish classrooms to produce a collection of the most memorable, of the poems learned in school in Ireland long ago.

The majority of the poems are by Irish poets, although there are a fair number of English and American poets included; the latter, however, have a distinct Irish flavour. All of the poems have one thing in common; they aim to stir a nostalgic chord.