Tells of an Irish priest's loss not of faith, but of commitment to the principles fostered in him during his training. It describes his discovery of a more fulfilling religion that celebrates instinct as being man's true mode of communion with his soul, and is also about the satisfactions of living close to nature in Ireland. The atmosphere of the Mayo countryside and the rich historical associations in every church, castle, or abbey, ruin and farmstead, are evoked with a rare skill, subtly illuminating the relationship that Moore takes as his theme between place and the Irish personality.
