Songs of a Red Cross nurse

On the eve of deployment, Phelim O’Toole attends an unforgettable party hosted by the McGee family. With Irish wit, lively storytelling, and a heart easily swept away, he dances with Bridget, then Mary, and finally sweet sixteen-year-old Maggie, whose innocence and beauty leave him wondering what tomorrow—and war—may bring.

This collection of narrative poems moves from flirtation and village humor to the stark emotional landscape of the First World War. Its voices include soldiers, nurses, lovers, comrades, and civilians confronting courage, sacrifice, homesickness, and loss. Some verses are playful and richly comic, while others honor battlefield heroism and the quiet strength of those who serve. Told with a strong sense of rhythm and character, these songs are especially well suited to listening, carrying the warmth of spoken Irish tales alongside the sorrow and resolve of wartime experience.