Kavanagh's early work dig a sharpened poetic shovel into the rotten belly of the Church and the colonial powers of England, and is some of Irlenad's best modern poetry. The bulk of his later poems are highly reflective, and sometimes even humorous. A few of the later poems stand out, but many are rather forgettable. Still, this doesn't diminish Kavanagh's well deserved reputation as a master poetic stylist. ( )