In this beautiful gift book, we take in a snapshot of the whole course of Irish poetry from early days to the present and accompany the poems with appropriate paintings and other illustrations.

The principal emphasis is on the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries although Brian Lalor has not neglected work from earlier times, especially poetry in translation from the Irish. In all, this is a popular selection of generally familiar and well loved poems. He chooses the widest selection of poets, usually selecting just one work from each author.

However, in the case of major figures such as WB Yeats and Seamus Heaney, he relaxes this general rule in order to give a selection from the works from these exceptional writers. With poems arranging from the 7th century Pangur Ban to Heaney and Derek Mahon, and including such favourites as The Croppy Boy, The Midnight Court, The Bells of Shandon and Francis Ledwidge’s beautiful ballad June, this book makes an almost ideal gift book and Christmas present.