William Carleton was an early 19th century Irish poet. He grew up the son of a tenant farmer, living on the beautiful land he would later write about. Carleton wrote about Irish peasant life with humor and passion. Carleton angered many Irishmen by his honesty in portraying the darker side of Irish life. He was quoted as saying that he was the, "historian of their habits and manners, their feelings, their prejudices, their superstitions and their crimes." Going To Maynooth is a novella located in volume three of Traits and Stories of Irish Peasantry.