The Lockdown Collection is a compilation of 40 poems written by Barry Jacob, a.k.a. Brian Donohoe, about serious subjects such as Brexit and the Irish lockdown. There are poems dedicated to a hospital cleaner, former U.S. president Donald Trump’s mob storming the Capitol, holding the Catholic Church accountable, the North Korean dictator, the Chinese leader, the Arab Spring, social snobbery, and the environment. Less serious subjects include St Patrick’s Day going virtual and Mayo never winning an All-Ireland; celebrities such as Conor McGregor, Rory McIlroy and Marcus Rashford. There is a tourism-inspired poem about the Wild Atlantic Way, and one about the Queen’s visit, a poem about Ireland as a bankrupt nation reviving its international reputation, and even poems about the poet’s pet cat, Ireland’s weather and a love poem about Ireland with deeper meaning.

This collection of poems was written during the prolonged lockdown in Ireland between December 2020 and March 2021, a very stressful and sad period in Irish life for many people. The poet’s main intention is to cheer up and give a psychological lift to an Irish public battered by the COVID-19 pandemic and revive hope for the future.