acknowledgements xienabled a space at Berkeley where the fi nal tidying up of the
manuscript took place. I appreciate their thoughtfulness.
Close friends and family outside of Ireland – Sally Perry, Una a
John, Ifor Owen, Sue Currell, Ciara Hogan and Sarah MacLachlan,
Gaynor Jones – provided necessary words of wisdom, especially
when there seemed to be far too many poets in one pot.
Special thanks go to my super furry animal, Cal, for witnessing
the process and keeping her feline eye on tea breaks. A fi nal diolch
anferth to my husband, Myles Dungan, for being in sync with the
vagaries of a writing timetable, and acting with such grace, good
humour and affection.WILLIAMS PRINT.indd xiWILLIAMS PRINT.indd xi 08/02/2011 11:4008/02/2011 11: