Séamus Ó Duilearga (James Hamilton Delargy), founder of the Irish Folklore Commission, speaking of his 'burning urge to save' the traditions and customs of the Irish people in the face of a rapidly shifting cultural landscape.

It was this urge that led him to found the Irish Folklore Commission, and to surround himself with the brilliant men and women whom he tasked with gathering the rich trove of folkloric material to be found across the island of Ireland; those songs, stories, customs and beliefs passed on from generation to generation by our forebears, and which come down to us to this day.