TURLOUGH O CAROLAN
In Ireland about 300 years ago, there lived
an Irish harper, singer and composer by the
name of Turlough O Carolan.
He was born near Nobber, Co. Meath, in
1670. In 1684 he moved with his family to
Ballyfarnon in Roscommon where his father
took a job with the MacDermott Rowe
family of Alferford House
When he was eighteen, he caught small pox.
He was left permanently blind.
A local noble woman by the name of Mary
Fitzgerald Mc Dermott Rowe, who also was
the person his Dad worked for, saw that he
trained with a harper. From then on
Carolan made his living by travelling around
from house to house, from castle to castle,
entertaining the households of the wealthy
people. He travelled with his horse and his
harp and a guide who showed him the way.
At first, he was not considered a great
musician. The ancient bards started to
learn the harp when they were still young
children. Carolan didn’t start till he was
eighteen. One of his patrons, Squire
Reynolds, suggested that he compose music.
His first work was “Sí Beag Sí Mór “. He
became famous for his wonderful music.
He played his own tunes and compositions
and also the tunes of other harpers.
He was very successful and people would
often delay weddings and funerals until he
arrived.
Often as a special favour he would write a
tune in honour of the man or the wife or
the daughter. He composed lively tunes in
honour of people, called “Planxties”.
When Turlough was a young man before his
blindness he met and fell in love with a girl
by the name of Bridget Cruise. Bridget was
part of a noble family and Carolan’s family
was of skilled labourers so a match could
never be made. Even though he lived a very
successful life he never forgot about
Bridget and wrote four tunes in her honour.
He met her again at the end of his life,
when he was on a religious retreat in County
Donegal. He happened to touch a woman’s
hand and instantly recognised that it was
hers.
In 1720, Carolan married Mary Maguire.
He was 50 years of age. Their first family
home was a cottage near the town of Mohill
in Co Leitrim, where they settled. They had
seven children, six daughters and a son. In
1733 Mary died.
For almost fifty years, Carolan journeyed
from one end of the country to the other,
composing and performing his tunes.
He usually composed the tune first as he
rode from place to place then added words
later.
His music was first published in Neale's A
Collection of the Most Celebrated Irish
Tunes in Dublin, in 1726. At least 220 tunes
which survive to this day are attributed to
him.
Many of the tunes attributed to Carolan
are older traditional melodies.
Carolan composed both songs and
instrumental harp music. Except for one
song with an English text, all of his songs
are in Irish. Most of his songs were
dedicated to particular people.
Carolan’s most famous tunes are Carolan’s
Concerto, Sí Beag Sí Mór and Carolan’s
Receipt.
Carolan was also famous for his love of
drink, especially Irish whiskey. In fact he
wrote a tune in honour of whiskey. As he
was dying he called for one last cup of his
favourite brew.
His dying words were “The drink and I have
been friends for so long it would be a pity
for me to leave without one last kiss.“
And then he died.
Carolan is known well around the area where
he lived. A harp festival is held every year
in Keadue.
There is a bronze statue of Carolan in
Nobber, where he was born, and another by
Oisín O’Kelly in Mohill, where he lived with
his family.
Derek Bell made an album of Carolan’s
music.
The Carolan String Quartet are named in
Carolan’s honour.
Carolan was a great Irish composer. We
are lucky to have so many of his tunes.
TOIRLEACH O’CEARBHALÁIN
le Stíofáin Ó Cinnéide