Key Quotations (Leaving Cert English): Revision Notes

Key Quotations

Quote	Speaker	Explanation
"Some of these bring the hardship on themselves."	Eileen	Reflects Eileen's pragmatic and judgmental attitude towards those in need, contrasting with Furlong's compassion.
"A novelty going about town in their fur hats and long buttoned coats, with hardly a word of English."	Narrator	Highlights the foreign sailors' otherness, emphasising the insular nature of the town and its rare exposure to diversity.
"A powerful-looking place."	Narrator	Describes the convent, symbolising its dominance and control over the town and its people.

Quote	Speaker	Explanation
"The worst was yet to come, he knew. Already he could feel a world of trouble waiting for him behind the next door, but the worst that could have happened was also already behind him; the thing not done, which could have been – which he would have had to live with for the rest of his life."	Narrator (Furlong's thoughts)	Furlong acknowledges the consequences awaiting him but feels relief that he acted with integrity by helping Sarah.
"He found himself asking was there any point in being alive without helping one another?"	Narrator (Furlong's thoughts)	Reflects Furlong's moral philosophy and the central theme of human responsibility and compassion.
"Was it possible to carry on along through all the years, the decades, through an entire life, without once being brave enough to go against what was there and yet call yourself a Christian?"	Narrator (Furlong's thoughts)	Furlong questions societal complicity, aligning his rebellion against the Church with true Christian values.

Quote	Speaker	Explanation
"Never once in his whole and unremarkable life had he known a happiness akin to this."	Narrator (Furlong's thoughts)	Captures Furlong's profound joy in acting selflessly as he walks Sarah home, despite the risks.
"His fear more than outweighed every other feeling but in his foolish heart he not only hoped but legitimately believed that they would manage."	Narrator (Furlong's thoughts)	Demonstrates Furlong's mix of fear and hope as he brings Sarah home, embodying both courage and optimism.
"Cut the knees off those who still knelt to say the rosary."	Narrator	Highlights the diminishing influence of religion in Ireland, a subtle backdrop to the societal changes in the novel.

Quote	Speaker	Explanation
"If you want to get on in life there's things you have to ignore, so you can keep on."	Eileen	Reflects Eileen's survival mindset, emphasising her reluctance to challenge authority or injustice.
"Surely they've only as much power as we give them."	Furlong	Furlong challenges the perceived authority of the nuns, suggesting that societal complicity sustains their power.
"It took a stranger to come out with things."	Narrator	Emphasises how deeply buried and unspoken truths, like Ned's paternity, are only revealed by outsiders.
"Have ye change for the collection box? Or has your daddy given it all away?"	Eileen	Eileen's light-hearted comment at Mass reflects her awareness of Furlong's generosity, but also her disapproval of his giving.
"Well, there's girls out there that get in trouble, that much you do know."	Eileen	A sharp remark from Eileen, criticising Furlong by reminding him of his mother's difficult situation as a single mother.