The Blind Harper
25 Mar 1738: Turlough O'Carolan, famed harper, composer & singer passed on from this world, leaving an enduring musical legacy.
The son of a farmer turned blacksmith and a great grandson of chieftain Shane Grana O'Carolan, Turlough was born near Nobber, Co. Meath in 1670. (Full Disclosure: Some sources also point to Newtown, Co. Westmeath, roughly 65 km to the southwest).
Regardless, by his early teens his family left his boyhood home in Nobber, we understand for a time residing at Carrick-On-Shannon, Co. Leitrim. But by 1684 they resided at Ballyfarnonin nearby Co. Roscommon - his father in the employ of the wealthy McDermott-Roes who were immediately impressed by his intelligence.
It was here he first took up the harp and studied poetry. By his late teens, he'd been blinded by smallpox, but his misfortune did little to quell his adventurous nature.
With few career options, a twenty-one yr old Turlough set-out with his harp, a horse and guide to tour Ireland. He'd spend forty plus years on the road, at a time when travelling musicians were welcome guests offering both news and entertainment.
Marrying late, at the age of fifty, he settled in present day Mohill, Co. Leitrim where he and his wife Mary nee Maguire of Co. Fermanagh were blessed with seven children.
His compositions numbered more than two-hundred, from the lively Sí Bheag, Sí Mhor (Small Fairy Mound, Big Fairy Mound) to the more subdued Eleanor Plunkett. Many works were named for characters and places he encountered along the way. This including his first love, Bridget Cruise, for whom FOUR airs were named! Bridget was his boyhood schoolmaster's daughter from his Nobber days and someone he'd never forget. (Mental note: Go easy on the Bridget Cruise airs in front of Mrs. O'Carolan Turlough!)
Perhaps his best known song was "Carolan's Concerto" popularised by the Chieftains' arrangement but performed by countless others. Legend indicates O'Carolan composed this song on the spot during a challenge or "musical duel" with renowned Italian violinist Francesco Geminiani when the two met at a Dublin party.
By his passing in 1738, O'Carolan was a widower of five yrs. He rests in Kilronan Burial Ground, near Ballyfarnon in nearby Co. Roscommon. But we prefer to visit him in Mohill where in 1986 Patrick Hillery unveiled a bronze sculpture of the blind harper at Market Square.
Do drop by and tip your cap to old Turlough. And check out everything else that Mohill and Leitrim have to offer!
Photo Credit: With permission of Leitrim Tourism, Carrick-On-Shannon, Co. Leitrim.