Shades of Whitethorn

Noonan’s inspiration is the symbiotic relationship between the poet and his ancestral landscape. From the lyrical ode of Inny River to the Lone Bush of Aghnaskeagh which ‘holds sway with some ancient wisdom’ we are brought into an identity imbued with history, connection and belonging. Lines such as ‘roots of my ancestors, I am sap from your growth’ (Core) accentuate a deep genetic bond stretching across time. Throughout the collection, evocative imagery of rivers, sacred wells and whitethorn bushes bring us to places where otherness is mediated through encounters with the ordinary, and everyday extraordinary, of the natural world.