In The Last Spring of the World, Maureen Boyle’s second publication with Arlen House, an Irish feminist publisher, blends personal stories with extended poems, offering profound insights into distinctly Irish perspectives on life and death. Similar to her debut work, The Work of a Winter, where she voiced the narratives of forgotten individuals, Boyle draws inspiration from her own life experiences and historical characters.
Growing up near Strabane, a town significantly affected by the Troubles in Northern Ireland, Boyle delves into her Catholic Scots roots in the lengthy poem “Strabane.” She eloquently incorporates place names like Gweedore, Glenties, and Crolly, painting a vivid picture of her childhood alongside the River Finn. Despite reminiscing about a peaceful past intertwined with nature, the poem eventually transitions into a period marked by tragedy and conflict, altering family dynamics. The child begins worrying about her parents’ safety amidst the violent backdrop:
Amidst news of people being shot through doors,
and a traveler seeking help at night,
I lay awake hoping my father wouldn’t respond,
imagining harm lurking on the other side.
Like many from her generation, Boyle relocated to England for a period — a journey symbolized by the salmon’s return in Irish folklore, representing wisdom and homecoming.
Religious themes continue to play a significant role in modern Ireland, skillfully portrayed by Boyle through mysticism and spirituality. In the poem “Crossing the Alps,” she reflects on childhood innocence as preparation for life’s uncertainties beyond the horizon.
Boyle’s adept storytelling reaches a poignant peak in The Last Spring of the World. The sequence “Bypass” delves into her father’s heart surgery, while “The House at Christmas” vividly captures melancholy and visual beauty.
The poem “First Time” portrays a young woman navigating the complexities of becoming an adult in a society where premarital contraception was prohibited until the mid-1980s.
Boyle’s detailed exploration of religious history, including monasticism and mysticism, shines through in “The Nunwell Letter April 1612,” where she imagines the life of Anne More, the wife of John Donne, filling in historical gaps with poetic imagination.
A master of voicing historical characters, Boyle’s collection is enriched by her ability to breathe life into figures like Micheal O’Clery in “The Work of a Winter–St Antony’s Leuven, 1643,” encapsulating Irish identity and womanhood through a lens of wisdom and empathy.
