My heart’s pulse, my secret, she,
The flower of the fragrant apple, she,
A summer glow o’er the winter’s snow,
‘Twixt Christmas and Easter, she.

~ Eleanor Hull (from the Irish)

Though Eleanor Hull was born in England, she was educated in Dublin, Ireland, and became a student of Irish studies there.  She later became a journalist and a scholar of Old Irish. 

In 1899, she co-founded the Irish Texts Society, which published early manuscripts, and held the position of honorary secretary for almost 30 years.

Photo: Blackthorn blossoms.