Poetry
Patrick Kavanagh and the beat poets: ‘I’ve always seen him as a punk’
Kavanagh Weekend 2026 will explore the Irish poet’s US adventures and his affinity with Allen Ginsberg and the outsider spirit of the beats
New poetry: Frank Ormsby’s tremendous poems loom out of darkness, shot with stars, lit with sound
Plus collections by Nessa O’Mahony, Lily Blacksell and Samantha Wynne-Rhydderch reviewed
Seamus Heaney and Catholicism: An astute account of religion’s afterlife in poet’s work
Chapters in Gary Wade’s book study clusters of collections by Heaney, with Station Island the pivot around which the whole turns
New poetry: An indispensable mirror to death-dealing cultures of neglect and abuse
Collections by Stephen de Búrca, Nithy Kasa, Eamon Grennan and Rita Ann Higgins reviewed
Drunken Driving by Martina Evans: Sonnets from a prison
Evans’s latest work can be read as part of her ongoing inquiry into the ways we survive in a world of vampiric thirst and intoxicated protocol
New poetry: Rachel Long’s boisterous follow-up; imaginative panache from Billy Ramsell
Mícheál McCann reviews new collections by Rachel Long, Billy Ramsell, Máighréad Medbh and Moyra Donaldson
Writer Victoria Kennefick: ‘Women’s anger is very underexplored and misunderstood’
Cork poet Victoria Kennefick on her relationship with being agreeable, her acquaintance with anger, and fond childhood memories
Imagine a world where saints roam free, among us, on the bus or in TK Maxx
To acknowledge the idea of a saint is to acknowledge the question: what does it mean to be a good person?
New poetry: Emma McKervey; Tim MacGabhann; Shannon Kuta Kelly; and Rishi Dastidar
Martina Evans reviews God-Head Contraption; Found in a Context of Destruction; The Tree Is Missing; and Cherry Blossom at Nightbreak
Lives of the Saints by Mícheál McCann: Poetry that elevates the commonplace
Derry poet’s second collection dives deeper into religious and historical themes
11 Parnell Square East: Ireland’s new home for poetry and heritage
Home to Poetry Ireland, the public will soon be able to visit the restored Georgian building for events, while the Seamus Heaney library will open in the autumn
New poetry: Leontia Flynn; Martina Dalton; Blake Morrison; and Joe Carrick-Varty
Declan Ryan reviews Selected Poems; Midnight at the Saltmarsh; Afterburn; and Before Violence
Jan Brierton: ‘Dublin is a small town with a big-town attitude. I didn’t always love it’
The ‘accidental’ poet and stylist on growing up in pre-Luas Tallaght, and writing her first verse during Covid
Rare copy of oldest poem in English language discovered by TCD researchers
Caedmon’s Hymn was written in the late seventh century in Old English by the English monk, author and scholar Bebe
‘Heaps of tresses’: What do poets really mean about Irish hair?
Debate about Irish people’s hair has endured for centuries
Growing up a communist in Troubles-era Belfast: We were treated more like ‘comrades’ than children
Poet Sinéad Morrissey’s elegiac memoir describes growing up in Troubles-era Belfast with communist parents
Gabriel Rosenstock obituary: Prolific poet, author and champion of the Irish language
Co Limerick-born writer who drew inspiration from the east was traditional in a very different way
The late Gabriel Rosenstock wrote Letters to the Editor for 50 years. Here are just a few
The Irish language poet, haikuist, translator and author wrote dozens of Letters to the Editor from 1974-2025
New poetry: John McCullough; Paddy Bushe; Raquel F Menéndez; Wendy Cope
Reviews of Crowd Voltage; Uncertain Passage; The Posthumous Book of Shahrazad; and the Collected Poems of Wendy Cope
Moonstruck: A geologist’s playground, an elite retreat or a staging post to a new frontier?
From megalithic art to science fiction, Earth’s sole natural satellite has compelled us, scared us and been the site of our fantasies
How flowers revolutionised the world through a riot of colour and scent
David George Haskell has a new book on the flowers that put the rain in rainforests and that challenge the teachings of Darwin
Seamus Heaney’s later years: Nicholas Allen explores his final poetry volumes
Allen examines ageing, illness and the enduring light of Heaney’s poetic world
Fog Bells: A flavour of the depth and richness of the poetry currently being written in Turkish
In March 1995, I ventured to Istanbul and immediately fell in love with the chaotic layers and depths of the city and its language
Seamus Heaney: from ancient Greece to home turf, Northern shades and the Nobel Prize
Nicholas Allen traces the terrains that inspired the poet’s late work
€11,000 Moth Poetry Prize 2026 shortlist revealed
Read the shortlisted poems: After Athenry by Ronald Carson; The Fall, 1989 by Elena Croitoru-Reed; Delinquent by Juleus Ghunta; and Shazaya by Adam Oliver
New poetry: A lifelong dedication to getting it right
New collections from Gerry Smyth, Cathy Galvin, Catherine Ann Cullen and Matthew Rice
Reviews in brief: This is the Mizen; May Morton: Phantom Poet; The Hidden Seasons
Hidden histories of the Mizen; a celebration of a forgotten poet; and observations of the natural world
Crosswords & Puzzles
Crosswords & puzzles to keep you challenged and entertained
Common Ground
How does a post-Brexit world shape the identity and relationship of these islands
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Weddings, Births, Deaths and other family notices