Derrybeg and Back offers us a splendid poetic journey from the riven shores of County Donegal to the grit of inner-city America. Along the way we visit churches, airports, schools, half-way houses and more, which John McNamee depicts with a keen eye for local detail. But the many vividly illustrated places to which McNamee takes us evoke another voyage, the journey inward. With a strong sense of justice McNamee negotiates matters of faith, loneliness, longing, and love. McNamee addresses these concerns, experienced by all, with exceptional poignancy, in a delightfully organized collection of poems.