A printed notice beside the grotto states that its continual upkeep is designed to keep the people of Ballinspittle focused on their veneration of the Virgin Mary, and also to inspire faith in "mere passers by". Anthropologist Peter Mulholland argues that the continuing role of Marian apparitions in Irish popular culture is a reflection of psychological insecurity stemming largely from adverse childhood experiences and a concatenation of historical, cultural, political, religious and sociological factors. Moving statues have also been reported in Poland, another devout Catholic country.