"The Hedge School; The Midnight Mass; The Donagh" is a collection of ethnic sketches on the life of the Irish peasantry in the 19th century by an Irish writer William Carleton. In his childhood, he moved a lot with his family and, thus, visited many hedge schools. The presented here story "The Hedge School" represents his childhood experiences. Another story, "The Midnight Mass," reflects Carleton's critical attitude towards the Catholic Church of Ireland. He also spent a lot of time in the parish of Donagh, where he received education from a curate, Father Keenan. His life, study, and observations there lay the basis of his story "The Donagh."

The Hedge School; The Midnight Mass; The Donagh Traits And Stories Of The Irish Peasantry, The Works of William Carleton, Volume Three by William Carleton There never was a more unfounded calumny, than that which would impute to the Irish peasantry an indifference to education. I may, on the contrary, fearlessly assert that the lower orders of no country ever manifested such a positive inclination for literary acquirements, and that, too, under circumstances strongly calculated to produce carelessness and apathy on this particular subject. Nay, I do maintain, that he who is intimately acquainted with the character of our countrymen, must acknowledge that their zeal for book learning, not only is strong and ardent, when opportunities of scholastic education occur, but that it increases in proportion as these opportunities are rare and unattainable.

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