The Blackthorn Anthology is an exquisite collection of poetry and prose that expresses quite vividly the author's love of Ireland, its people, its traditions and its culture, and the pain he went through after having to leave the country. There is sadness and joy, humour and tenderness within the works, interlaced with a fine appreciation of Ireland's history and of legends gone before. The reader cannot fail to be touched by Jim Scallan's emotion and love for the country, as he succeeds in capturing the mystical Gaelic essence as one might capture a fairy in a jar.