"Lough Derg has certainly been well chosen as a spot of religious penitence and seclusion, for the character of its scenery harmonises well with such a feeling; it is that of wild and gloomy loneliness."
"Do not visit Saints' Island with expectation of finding carved stones, a clear ground plan of ancient buildings, or examples of early Christian masonry..."
"But the breeze gradually dropped. Large splashes of calm, glazy-looking water appeared here and there, spreading by little and little over the whole surface, while the rises became more and more infrequent, and, before a dozen fish had been caught,…
"Lough Derg is dotted with forty-six small islands, some of them graced with shrubs and occasional rowans or ash, but the greater number are only bare rocks projecting out of the water..."
"The author of the following brief sketch, on first receiving a copy of the statistical queries, was for a considerable time in doubt whether to forward any answer to the inquiries proposed..."
"The Lough, which is said to be about nine miles in circumference, is situated in the midst of high hills, which rise on all sides without the slightest appearance of cultivation..."
