“The sorrows of the poor are often more picturesque than the joys of the rich.”

A striking contrast between hardship, sympathy, and social privilege · Commonly attributed observation

• Despair
• Truth

“The old beliefs, the old traditions, and the old legends of Ireland are not dead, but live in the hearts of the people.”

Affirming the continuity of cultural memory and inherited belief · Essayistic prose on Irish folklore

• Faith
• Memory

“The Irish peasant has a deep and abiding faith in the supernatural world.”

Recognising the imaginative and spiritual dimensions of rural life · Prose writing on Irish folklore

• Faith
• Nature