Stepping Out Of the Shadows and Creating a History for Women

Until recently, women poets in Ireland have gotten little recognition, with poetry being dominated for many years by a longstanding male tradition. In a recent interview, Eavan Boland expressed this dilemma, saying, "A young woman in one of my workshops told me if I called myself a poet, people would think I didn't wash my windows" (Hannan 10). For many years it was hard to break through the invisible barrier, one that prevented women poets from receiving recognition. However, Boland argues that she is an Irish poet, who simply happens to be a woman, and all Irish poets should be recogn…