Book Reviews and More: A Treasury of Irish Saints

Tuesday, 6 January 2026

A Treasury of Irish Saints - John Irvine and Ruth Brandt

A Treasury of Irish Saints

John Irvine (1903-1965)

British Edition - 1964

The Dolmen Press

US Edition - 1965

Henry Z. Walck

A Treasury of Irish Saints - John Irvine and Ruth Brandt

I sort of stumbled upon this book and author. I was reading one of the Vision Books for young readers, Irish Saints by Robert T. Reilly, and there was an excerpt of a poem from this collection. It was really intriguing and I made it a mission to track down this volume. At first my dyslexia had me thinking it was John Irving, and I have read a few of his fiction books. But some quick searching put that idea to rest. This author John Irvine lived from 1903-1965. This volume was published just before his death in Britain, and the American edition followed the following year, published by his wife. The was a reprint ion 1984.

About the author on a site with information about Irish authors states:

“John Irvine was born in Belfast and published several collections of poems: A Voice in the Dark, 1932; Willow Leaves: Lyrics in the Manner of the Early Chinese Poets,1941; Lost Sanctuary and other poems among others. He edited The Flowering Branch: An Anthology of Irish Poetry Past and Present.”

Another online description of the author states:

“Irvine, born in Belfast, published about six collections of lyrics between 1932 and 1954, mostly from small presses in Belfast and Dublin. He also edited an anthology of Irish poetry, The Flowering Branch.”

This book contains:

nihil obstat: Jacobus Hendley, Cens. Dep.

imprimatur: + Daniel, Epus. Dunen et

Connoren.

Belfast, die 2a Octobris 1958

The chapters in this volume are:

Saint Patrick

Saint Patrick and the Serpents

Saint Patrick and the Shamrock

Invocation to Saint Bride

Three Irish Saints

Saint Colm-Cille and the Cairn of

Farewell

Saint Colm-Cille, Brother Diarmuid, and the Crane

Saint Colm-Cille and the Oak Trees

Saint Fiacre

Saint Kevin and the Angel

Saint Kevin and the Wild Beasts

The little Pets of Saint Mochua

A Rathlin Cradle Song

Saint Finbarr's Hermitage

Explanatory notes

I really enjoyed this collection. I read the first poem almost a dozen times before moving on. And to be honest it is a volume I could easily see myself returning to. The one bio above mentions 6 collections of poems but I have found 9 listed below, as well as 4 volumes Irvine edited of other poems. A few sample poems from this volume are:

SAINT PATRICK

When darkness lay across the land

Saint Patrick lit the Paschal flame

And kindled in the hearts of men

A veneration for the name

Of God, and Jesus Christ His Son,

Who freely gave His life away

And by the shedding of His blood

Redeemed all men at Calvary.

And so they turned from ancient ways,

The pagan gods, the wicked strife,

To hear the creed of gentleness

The promise of eternal life,

And 'ere Saint Patrick's task was done

His converts travelled far and wide

Until the Christian bell was heard

To sound in every countryside

THREE IRISH SAINTS

In Downpatrick on the hill

Saint Patrick, Bride, and Colm-Cille,

Underneath a leafy shade

In one grave at last were laid.

Saint Patrick guard us from all wrong

Let our faith in Christ be strong,

Saint Bride make clean our hearts and

bless,

And fill them with thy holiness,

Saint Colm, comfort them that stray

And toil in exile far away

From everything that once was dear

In far-off places year by year,

For love of Ireland bless us still,

Saint Patrick, Bride, and Colm-Cille.

SAINT KEVIN AND

THE WILD BEASTS

Where Kevin was the eagles came

Down from the highest mountains,

tame,

And sat among the lesser birds

To hear the wisdom of his words,

The speckled trout would swiftly glide

To the reedy water's side,

And there the mountain deer would

stand

To eat the green moss from his hand,

The snarling wolf and savage boar

Lay down together by his door

And so defied all natural laws

About the cave where Kevin was.

I hope those three poems give you a feel for the collection. Each pope if accompanied by a print, what appear to be a wood cut by Ruth Brandt. The illustrations are excellent and really add to the volume. I would love to find a Stations of the Cross illustrated this way by Brandt. The poems vary from one paragraph to 2 pages. Most are contained on a single page. The final section of the volume is ‘Explanatory notes’ these notes vary from a few sentences to a whole page. Some are brief biographies and some of notes about specific events. They are well worth reading.

I was able to track down a copy of this online. But I could not find any of the other volumes from Irvine. I am now trying to hunt them all down. These poems were a really blessing, and I am certain they would be to you as well.

If you can track down a copy or read it online it is well worth it! A great collection of poems about Irish saints, I can easily recommend it.