A Farewell to Poetry

This book is a collection of the best of a lifetime of writing by one of Ireland's most prodigious poets and one of the great characters of the Irish arts, Gabriel Fitzmaurice. Selected by the poet himself, the book includes a rigorous selection from his poems for both adults and children, poems in the Irish language and his translations from Irish. The book is dedicated to the poet's friend, singer Kris Kristofferson, and the foreword is written by Fintan O'Toole, literary editor of The Irish Times. The poet has declared this is his final book, hence the title. The job is done, he says. In the words of Saint Paul: "I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith."