"Obviously one of the things that poets from Northern Ireland and beyond - had to try to make sense of was what was happening on a day-to-day political level"

This quote by Paul Muldoon talks to the difficult task of making sense of the political circumstance in Northern Ireland. As a poet, Muldoon was charged with translating the occasions of the day and trying to make sense of them. This was no easy feat, as the political circumstance in Northern Ireland was typically complex and ever-changing. Muldoon was likely describing the decades-long conflict in between the 2 main political factions in Northern Ireland, the Unionists and the Nationalists. This conflict was frequently violent and had a deep effect on the people of Northern Ireland. Muldoon's quote speaks with the problem of trying to make sense of the political situation in Northern Ireland, and the significance of poets in interpreting and comprehending the events of the day.