Iris bhliantúil a dhíríonn ar ealaín an fhocail agus a chuireann leis an gcuspóir sin trí aird a dhíriú ar na healaíona eile, go háirithe ar an ealaín phictiúrtha. Ar na scríbhneoirí sa eagrán seo tá: Sorcha de Brún, Síle Denvir, Rody Gorman, Máirtín Mac Donnchadha, Máire Mhac an tSaoi, Eilís Ní Anluain, Bríd Ní Mhóráin, Micheál Ó Catháin, Peadaer Ó Ceannabháin, Geraldine O'neill, Gabriel; Rosenstock, John Walsh

In this beautifully presented book, not only is Stanford's music and Gaelic music examined, but also Stanford's cultural background. Indeed, it is not often we get an Irish book which examines Englishness, as is done in this book which gets to grips with both the Irish and the English question, and what it means to be an anglophonic Englishman, and what it means go be a Gael.

The author is widely recognized as an authority on the poetry of the bards from Early Irish literature to the present day, and in particular for her research into the poems in their historical context. This books adds greatly to our understanding of the changes that came about with time in the poets’ undertanding of the nature of human interaction. The book is greatly enriched by the author’s highly-readable style throughout, and by her commentaries on poems well known to all who are interested in the tradition of Irish poetry.