Praise in Which I Live and Move and Have my Being

Whatever the subject, venue or city, and no matter how bitter the moment, Durcan has wit, charm and spark. Poetry is his – and our – rescuer... These poems are a pleasure to read

Observer

A poetry of encounter, of sidelong glances and exuberant strangeness. There will be many pleasures here for Durcan fans and aficionados

Paul Perry, Irish Times

Superbly composed, uneasy, desperately witty and often startling… At his best, which he often surpasses in this book, he produces what blue, green and red make when mixed: a pure white light, the noble glow of true praise. In contemporary literature, and not just Irish poetry, Durcan is flying high. Noble may yet become Nobel

Brian Lynch, Irish Independent

One of the few genuinely popular poets of recent decades, a vital presence in Irish culture...entertaining, edgy, and with enough ironic self-awareness to make from such quirky subjects more than superficial reflections on his life and times. Durcan is the recording angel who preserves what could be lost, who brings tidings of change in some of the darker moments of history

Guardian

He is a prolific poet, and as he nears a venerable three-score years and 10, his prodigious output shows no signs of slowing… There will be many pleasures here for Durcan fans and aficionados

Paul Perry, Irish Times

It was mesmerising and spellbinding and deeply affecting each poem received in awed silence

Alan Taylor on Paul’s Edinburgh event, Herald

A book filled with contemporary life, but the poems also have a way of evoking enduring human values, in all their odd tones and surprising textures, as much as the contemporary moment

Colm Tóibín, Guardian Books of the Year

A personal journey through places and people I know

Kathleen MacMahon, Irish Times