Soundings

"'Soundings' was the poetry anthology for the Leaving Cert curriculum. It was the basis for the poetry course from 1969 for thirty years. It was complied by Augustine Martin of UCD and is remarkable for its ambition and the high degree of critical engagement it demands from Leaving Cert students. It covers centuries of English language poetry from Chaucer up to Kinsella (the only living poet in the book; Emily Dickinson is the only woman). In addition to the breadth and scope of poetry, each poem is supplemented by a series of 'Explorations' - often very sophisticated and challenging questions about the poems, designed to get students thinking seriously about the poem. 'Soundings' is important because for many Irish people it was their most important, perhaps only, experience of studying poetry seriously. The books themselves became totems of nostalgia and trophies of study, and can often be found with doodles, marginal notes and highlights that represent an individual student's learning."