Review
Not exactly beach reading, but none the worse for it
- The Penguin Book of Irish Poetry
- Penguin
Bards to Ballads
This hefty tome, which is as far off portable as a book gets, might just be the only collection of Irish verse you’ll ever need.
Incorporating lyrics, ballads, contemporary verse and translations – this is the definitive anthology of 1500 years of verse in Ireland.
Handily divided into sections for easy reference, the book starts with verse from the arrival of Christianity on these Isles and ends with the lyrical musings of the inimitable Christy Moore. If you can’t find something to tickle your fancy in here, you really aren’t looking hard enough. A gorgeous collection, compiled with humour and obvious love and affection for the subject.
