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Poems of the Irish People

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Poems of the Irish People celebrates the poetic heritage of the emerald isle with more than fifty classic poems about Ireland's people, history, character, and myths and legends. Its contributors include William Butler Yeats, William Allingham, and other well-known Irish poets.

116 pages, Leather Bound

First published December 30, 2016

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290 people want to read

About the author

Various

455k books1,341 followers
Various is the correct author for any book with multiple unknown authors, and is acceptable for books with multiple known authors, especially if not all are known or the list is very long (over 50).

If an editor is known, however, Various is not necessary. List the name of the editor as the primary author (with role "editor"). Contributing authors' names follow it.

Note: WorldCat is an excellent resource for finding author information and contents of anthologies.

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5 stars
108 (37%)
4 stars
108 (37%)
3 stars
58 (20%)
2 stars
10 (3%)
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2 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews
Profile Image for Printed Pages and Coffee.
188 reviews9 followers
August 3, 2019
I've said for many years that, no matter how many generations removed you may be from Ireland, that there is something about the Emerald Isle that calls to something in the blood. That is no less true for the words given into the universe by the people of Ireland; every letter on every page of this book of poems felt like a homecoming. I can't recommend it enough.
Profile Image for Justin Wiggins.
Author 28 books221 followers
March 20, 2022
This is a beautiful book of Irish poems about sorrow, death, joy, love, community, the beautiful Irish landscape, Celtic mythology, spirituality, and was a great delight to read. My favorite two poems from this book are The Enchanted Island by Luke Aylmer Conolly, and O, It Was Out By Donnycarney by James Joyce.
Profile Image for Benny Blanco.
Author 4 books3 followers
April 1, 2021
The poems here are absolutely beautiful. Now some are hard for me to grasp and some I just can’t feel, but the ones that hit, hit very hard. The Irish do poems best!
651 reviews7 followers
December 14, 2023
A beautiful poetry collection. Each poem is fully of lyrical imagery and national pride.
Profile Image for Julicke.
352 reviews4 followers
September 24, 2024
I'll admit, poetry is not really my thing, but I did enjoy this. It took me forever to finish, mostly because I would read two or three poems, put the book down, and then promptly forget about its existence for a few weeks.

Anyway, this was a lovely collection, filled with longing, melancholy and wonder. I liked that the poems were sorted by theme. I enjoyed the 'Lore' ones the best. Reading about the fair folk and Cú Chullain brings me back to how I felt when I climbed Tara hill, explored Newgrange and wondered among the gravestones of the Emerald Isle.
Profile Image for Regina.
555 reviews24 followers
October 8, 2018
This was a nice compilation of Irish poetry. I obviously liked some poems more than others, but in general they all had a beautiful musicality to it. I guess the one thing I disliked was that you hat do have a lot of historical and cultural context to understand the poems. Some I did get, but others were a bit of a mystery to me. It made the reading experience a bit tiring to me, not knowing what the authors were talking about. I like that it is divided into three sections, although I think the section of poems that talks about the land is too lengthy. They are pretty repetitive and make them a bit boring to read. Other than that, I used the poems as a mental break. I focused more on the cadence of the lines than what they were saying, and it relaxed me deeply. Reading the poems out loud was the best experience. When I started doing it, it heightened the experience of reading the book. I do recommend reading the book if you like Ireland, for it provides a certain insight into its culture. Although, I also recommend reading a bit about the country before you read the poems, as it will improve your understanding of them. I don’t know why I give the compilation three stars, as I did enjoy it. Maybe because as much as I enjoyed it I didn’t really love it. Still, I think they are worth the read.
Profile Image for Joseph Ozias.
Author 3 books2 followers
February 26, 2017
I had to upload a cover for this book because it didn't have one and I enjoyed it so much. It was a very fun and interesting read - gaining insight into rarer cultures (for myself) is a wonderful thing. In America, we familiarize ourselves with American, British, Latin American, some Japanese and Russian for the most part. It was great to read some Irish poetry!
Profile Image for Alyssa Burgess.
45 reviews2 followers
April 20, 2021
There were a few poems I loved in this collection but overall I feel like it was the same thing over and over. It wasn’t bad just could’ve used a little bit more differentiation in the poems that were chosen.
Profile Image for Maltheus Broman.
Author 7 books55 followers
March 13, 2024
Invigorating poetry. There is no long introduction, no commentary, just exactly what the cover promises.

Excellent selection in a beautiful edition.
Profile Image for James.
542 reviews5 followers
May 29, 2017
A fine sampling of poetry by varied authors from and about Ireland that range from the tragic to the seemingly supernatural. If you have never read any poetry from Irish authors, consider this a solid sampler of what is out there. From anonymous works to William Butler Yeats and a host of authors in between, this will give you something to begin to explore the poems of the Emerald Isle.
Profile Image for Tina.
77 reviews9 followers
July 20, 2019
I was hoping I'd like this. I really tried. But it's official. I do not like poetry. At. All.

Profile Image for Sarah Holder.
196 reviews2 followers
September 2, 2022
If you’re into classic poetry, check this out. It’s quite beautiful.
Profile Image for Aimée.
Author 5 books8 followers
February 4, 2021
Eine wunderschöne Ausgabe der Barnes & Noble Schätze mit dunkelgrünem Einband, Goldverzierungen und rundum Silberschnitt.



Innendrin befinden sich 64 Gedichte, unterteilt nach

~ The Land (über Irland)

~ The Lore (über irische Sagengestalten) und

~ The People (das irische Volk, natürlich).



Insgesamt ein wunderbarer Überblick mit einigen bekannten Namen und auch einigen Gedichten, aus denen später Lieder gemacht wurden ("The Stolen Child" hat mich sofort in Unizeiten zurückkatapultiert).
Profile Image for Riley Spellman.
101 reviews
March 15, 2025
A perfect St Patty’s Day read! Gets you in the mood to celebrate being Irish!

It’s a little challenging to understand some of these poems, but you start to get used to it as you go. I liked the 3 sections—land; lore; and people. I was expecting to recognize some of these poems, but I didn’t. Overall, good stuff. If you’re looking for some good, Irish poems, this delivers.
Profile Image for Trisha Georgiou.
Author 3 books6 followers
May 13, 2017
My son gave this book to me as a gift. I fell in love with the intent, the leather cover, the poems by honored Irish poets. There were many poems I have read before and some were new discoveries.
Brilliant book.
Profile Image for Samantha (continuousreads).
30 reviews1 follower
June 14, 2017
I absolutely loved this! Of course I didn't love EVERY poem but that is never going to happen. Coming from an Irish and Scottish heritage, I love reading stuff like this because it makes me feel more in touch with my heritage.
Profile Image for Mae_chann .
233 reviews
February 6, 2019
I'm slowly working on increasing the poetry I read and this one was quite good. I am part Irish so that's one reason I bought this. I love how a culture can he captured in a compilation of poems.
Profile Image for Buck Edwards.
Author 12 books8 followers
September 21, 2019
All the way back, the Irish know how to write poetry. Clearly a challenge at times to figure out the rhyming scheme, but that was part of the fun. And...reading it out loud.
Profile Image for Susan.
297 reviews
December 29, 2019
Another book I purchased to read and then give to a child. Certainly not an anthology to fully represent the breadth of Irish verse. Yet these are accessible.
Profile Image for John Geddie.
499 reviews11 followers
February 12, 2020
There are some real gems in there, particularly the folklore stuff. The poems talking about the land didn’t quite do it for me.
Profile Image for Rónán Stenson.
1 review
May 2, 2025
The Famine Year by Lady Wilde is probably my favourite amongst these, but overall every poem here is a must read and a masterpiece within itself.
Profile Image for Astrid Massacre.
8 reviews
August 10, 2024
I really enjoyed this beautiful little book, from fun and magical poems to love and hardship, this book had it all!
28 reviews
March 12, 2017
I read the majority of this on an airplane, and I really enjoyed it. This small compilation is broken up into three parts: the land, the lore and the people. My favorite section was 'the lore.' I am also pleased that the book is pocket sized and very pretty! It's something I could easily carry with me if in the mood for some reading.
Profile Image for Cosmic.
8 reviews
November 7, 2025
This book contains a selection of very beautiful poems about Ireland, its people, and its lore (which is how the book is organized). It's the perfect sort of "nightstand" book to have for a quick read before bed if you like poetry or it is a nice read if you are at all interested in Irish culture.

I very much enjoyed the book myself.

I also would like to mention that it is a very short and easy read. Only about one hundred pages.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 36 reviews

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