Eavan Boland
(b. 1944)

The poet Eavan Boland is well-versed in the differences between Irish, British, and American societies. Growing up as the daughter of an ambassador, she divided her childhood education between Dublin, London, and New York City. As an adult, she calls Dublin her home, but teaches frequently at colleges in the United States.

The time spent away from her native Ireland gives Boland a unique perspective on what it means to be an Irish poet and what she values in the American poetic heritage. Poetry in Ireland began as a largely oral tradition and poets hold a special place in Irish culture. Irish poets benefit from this tradition but can also feel burdened by it, according to Boland. Poets in the United States tend to attract less attention and work more in isolation than Irish poets, Boland asserts. But American poets participate in a diverse society and are more open to experimentation— aspects that Boland values.

In her poetry, Eavan Boland has shown the ability to incorporate both her respect for Irish tradition and her love of experimentation. She broke new ground in subject matter and form in volumes of poetry such as In Her Own Image (1980) and Night Feed (1982), which focused on the everyday life of women. Boland also writes about topics commonly seen in Irish poetry, such as war, sectarian violence, and nationalism, but she writes about them from the perspective of an Irish woman. Her goal in writing, she explains, is not to accurately catalogue a particular place or event, like a photographer. Rather, she writes to experience the experience, and make that experience come alive for others as well.

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