The Irish Literary Times

On Monday, Oct. 7, Irish poet Joan McBreen visited Samford’s campus as part of the BACHE Visiting Writers Series. McBreen dedicated the reading to Seamus Heaney, another renowned Irish poet who died suddenly in August.

McBreen has been writing poetry for decades, publishing her first collection, “The Wind Beyond the Wall,” in 1990.

Since then she has published three more collections and coedited two anthologies. Her most recent collection, titled “Heather Island,” was reprinted in 2013.

Born in Sligo, Ireland, McBreen fills her poems with magnificent vistas and everyday details of her home country, as well as stories from her own life and family. Her heritage impacts her writing.