Editor’s Note [Preface]: ‘… They form a small, nearly representative, sample of the valid contemporary English poetry by Irish writers. To make an Irish anthology fully representative one should, I think, include work by three other Irish poets whose poems would lend lustre to these pages. I mean Robert Graves, Louis MacNeice, and Austin Clarke. But it has been the policy of the Bell to look rather for poems by young or—at the time when we first printed them little-known poets.’ [&c.].

Contains 25 poems: contribs. are—
Maurice Craig [2 poems]; Maurice Farley [1]; Robert Greacen [1: The Bird]; John Hewitt [3]; Valentin Iremonger [1]; Sean Jennett [1]; Patrick Kavanagh [1: Kednaminsha]; Freda Laughton [1]; Cecil Day Lews [1: Hornpipe - with ed. acknowledgement that he is not little known]; Donagh MacDonagh [1]; Roy McFadden [1: Plaint of the Working-Man]; Nick Nicholls [1]; Roibeard O Farachain [1: Exile Song of Colmcille]; D J O’sullivan [2]; W R Rodgers 3: Ireland; Poem; The party]; Geoffrey Taylor [1: Boat-haven, Co. Mayo]; Bruce Williamson [1].