Bearings

In Bearings, Patrick Moran's third collection, the poet takes stock of himself and his position in the world. Looking back to his roots, he depicts family history, communal lore, and local haunts with a tender, grainy authenticity. As always in his work, the past is a pervasive, molding presence. Yet this book is more than an elegy for a bygone time. These poems, in their lyrical, reflective way, embrace the wider world, too: ranging from a village pub to the North Pole, they take in Irish roads and African huts; raise environmental concerns; and reach out to marginalized lives.