Contents Poetry Ireland Review 120

Vona Groarke 5 editorial Ciaran Berry 9 extra terrestrial Miriam Gamble 11 the oak that was not there Paul Henry 12 cliff terrace clouds Rachael Boast 13 two poems after akhmatova Seán Hewitt 14 review: alice lyons, blake morrison, bernard o’donoghue Jacob Polley 18 dark seasons 19 poem with a twenty-three-year gap Sinéad Morrissey 20 the singing gates Paul Batchelor 23 song 24 the matter Michael Symmons Roberts 25 my father’s death 26 the cold Alice Lyons 28 review: kim moore, sarah howe, vahni capildeo Kimberly Campanello 33 ‘farm animals ...’ 34 ‘we cannot guarantee ...’ 35 ‘i like it much better ...’ Luke Kennard 36 red tape 37 and all the other puppets Joey Connolly 38 third ballad Colette Bryce 40 review: alice oswald, denise riley Igor Klikovac 44 gratitude to big cities 45 rats’ decision Evan Jones 46 hidden Rebecca Watts 47 economics Simon Armitage 48 poor old soul 49 october Bernard O’Donoghue 50 review: derek mahon Medbh McGuckian 54 the snowfall room Dom Bury 55 hiraeth Lani O’Hanlon 56 the cherry blossoms were purple there Matt Howard 57 crome Mary O’Donnell 58 those prostitutes in cuba Joseph Woods 59 review: grace wells, michelle o’sullivan, aideen henry John McDonald 63 haiku Doireann Ní Ghríofa 66 kintsugi 67 le tatú a bhaint Richard Hayes 68 review: mary o’donnell, gerry murphy, sara berkeley tolchin Jean O’Brien 73 suppose Simon Kew 75 my box of lies Moyra Donaldson 76 not metaphors Fiona Sze-Lorrain 77 walking out Evan Jones 78 review: moya cannon, eamon grennan, justin quinn Kate Noakes 82 before i can walk again John McKernan 83 i like to walk miles in omaha Jacqueline Thompson 84 housekeeper Mary Montague 85 apparition Zoë Brigley Thompson 86 ravishment Gerard Smyth 87 review: rita ann higgins, martina evans, cathal mccabe Amanda Bell 91 complicit John Murphy 92 lotus David Romanda 93 deathbed poem David Clink 94 a premonition of rain Jo Gill 95 review: CONTEMPORARY IRISH WOMEN POETS Sean O’Brien 98 hammersmith CANTO V Anthony Caleshu 101 i am nourishing the polar star again Peter Sirr 102 review: LETTER WRITING AMONG POETS Gerry Cambridge 106 crossing the footbridge over the clyde at dusk Paul Muldoon 107 walnuts Interview 108 an interview with paul muldoon Louis de Paor 118 hataí 119 hats off Caitríona O’Reilly 121 the diamond cutter 122 tolkien in thiepval

Notes on Contributors 123