Poetry:The Best of Irish Poetry annual anthology is in its second year now. It's a handsomely produced collection published by Southword Editions. Patrick Cotter, director of the Munster Literature Centre, whose initiative it is, writes that such a venture reclaims "from the New York and London publishing centres authority over the formulation of an Irish Canon".
Thomas McCarthy and Bríd Ní Mhóráin act as editors. In his foreword, McCarthy writes that we live in "a golden age of Irish publishing . . . this is the best time to be a poet". Whether you agree or not, what's immediately noticeable in McCarthy's choice is the prevalence of poetry from Cork: Gerry Murphy, Maurice Riordan, William Wall, Marion Moynihan, Billy Ramsell and Greg Delanty are all included. In fact, nearly 30 per cent of the authors are Corkonians. It's a strong showing, with Leanne O'Sullivan standing out, as does Robert Welch, who writes in The Evening Echothat:
. . . now and then there was, beneath
the susurrus of shifting corn, a quiet
plosive hiss, as an ear of corn split open,
& white milk poured out from the husk.
Another surprising characteristic is how few poems have come from the pages of Poetry Ireland Review,trusted by many as the de facto journal of the best poetry on the island. Not according to this selection; by my count there were only two poems that made it into this year's "Best". Instead we have over a dozen poems which have been plucked from The Irish Timesand half a dozen from the Cork-based magazine The Shop. But nothing from an equally stylish journal, The Stinging Fly. What does this say about the process?
It might have something to do with an editor's allegiances and preferences, but it might also have to do with something Peter Sirr said in his "farewell" as Poetry Ireland Revieweditor - that many fine poets do not actually submit their work for journal or magazine publication. And if that is the case, it seems that, under Cotter's direction, the decision to include work from individually published collections is a good one.
Unfortunately, the biographical notes for each poet are not always up to date or accurate. There's no mention of Mary O'Donnell's Selected Poems, nor of Harry Clifton and Eamonn Grennan's new books. Dennis O'Driscoll appears as "Denis". An easy solution to these editorial oversights is to have the poets submit their own biographies. But more confusing are the actual dates: the poems, we are told in Bríd Ní Mhóráin's Irish-language preface, were published between July 2006 and July 2007, so why the misleading title: Best of Irish Poetry 2008.
The anthology is based on the Best American Poetryseries which includes a fascinating feature: a paragraph by each writer on their own poem. It would be exciting to see a similar feature in a future Irish anthology. All that aside, the poetry is mostly superb. Cathal O'Searcaigh is at his best in the tragic poem Oileán na Marbh, Louis de Paor's is mischievous and brilliant in Poncaíocht, while Vona Groarke's Rummyis exquisite. Kerry Hardie and David Wheatley impress, as do many more; others do not however, which makes the omissions more acute: nothing from Francis Harvey's Collected Poemsis a real shame. Best of Irish Poetry 2008is a praiseworthy but flawed enterprise.
Paul Perry's most recent collection is The Orchid Keeper, published by Dedalus Press
The Best of Irish Poetry 2008 Edited by Thomas McCarthy and Bríd Ní Mhóráin Southword Editions, 107pp. €10