Price: €12.99

Between 1985 and 1992, under the direction of Niall McMonagle, a teacher of English, a small group of fifth formers at Wesley College, Dublin, wrote to famous people asking them to name their favourite poem, giving the reasons why. Those who replied had their letter and chosen poem published in booklet form by the students and the proceeds were given to charity.

This is what was said at the time:

"The world's best anthology...Lifelines is unquestionably one of the best anthologies put together anywhere in recent years."
Paul Durcan

"It's a great collection. Well done."
Gay Byrne

"It gives you the great interest of seeing who chose what."
Maeve Binchy

"Lifelines is such an excellent project and such good reading."
Irish Murdoch

"I recommed Lifelines more than life itself."
Kevin Myers

In their letters to the teenagers, 223 famous people, including Garret FitzGerald, Maeve Binchy, Richard Branson, Mother Teresa, Jeffrey Archer, Paul Durcan, Rosaleen Linehan, Jilly Cooper, Mary Harney, Conor Cruise O'Brien, Cyril Cusack, Archbishop Robin Eames and William Trevor, give honest, immediate, humourous, profound, but always revealing insights into themselves as they describe the reasons for their choice.

Old favourites are dusted down and refreshed for us through their eyes. Poems once toiled over in school are seen in a new light - all of these side by side with poems by contemporary poets, little known poets and very famous poets, making a truly remarkable anthology.