Turlough O'Carolan, (Irish: Toirdhealbhach Ó
Cearbhalláin) (1670--1738) was a blind early Irish
harper, composer and singer whose great fame is due to
his gift for melodic composition. When he was eighteen,
he caught small pox, a disease which was usually fatal
at the time. His life was spared, but he was left
permanently blind. Turlough's blindness, in a way, was
a blessing because it awakened in him a hidden gift for
music. A local noble woman by the name of Mary
Fitzgerald McDermott Rowe sa...(+)
Turlough O'Carolan, (Irish: Toirdhealbhach Ó
Cearbhalláin) (1670--1738) was a blind early Irish
harper, composer and singer whose great fame is due to
his gift for melodic composition. When he was eighteen,
he caught small pox, a disease which was usually fatal
at the time. His life was spared, but he was left
permanently blind. Turlough's blindness, in a way, was
a blessing because it awakened in him a hidden gift for
music. A local noble woman by the name of Mary
Fitzgerald McDermott Rowe saw to it that he was trained
in the Irish harp, gave him a horse and guide and sent
him on his way.
At first, he was not considered a great musician. (The
ancient bards were supposed to have started their
training when they were still young children and
Carolan didn't start until he was an adult.) One of his
first patrons, a Squire Reynolds, suggested that he try
his hand at composition. His first work, "Si Beag, Si
Mor", resulted from this suggestion. After he finished
the composition, his fame was spread throughout all of
Ireland and he started his career.
The way Carolan made his living, was to travel from big
house to big house, from castle to castle, entertaining
the households and the friends of some of the most
famous and wealthy people of Ireland at the time.
Often, as a special favor, he would write a tune in
honor of the man of the house, or his wife or daughter.
He called his lively tunes in honor of people
"Planxties". He was very successful and people would
often delay weddings and funerals until he could be
present to play the appropriate tune.
When Carolan was a very young man, before his
blindness, he met and fell in love with a young woman
named Bridget Cruise. Bridget was part of a noble
family and Carolan's family was of skilled laborers, so
a match could never be made. And even though he went on
to live a very successful life, he never forgot Bridget
and wrote 4 tunes in her honor. He met her again near
the end of his life, when he was on his way to a
religious retreat in County Donegal. He happened to
touch a woman's hand and instantly recognized that it
was hers.
Carolan was also famous for his love of drink,
especially Irish whiskey. He wrote a tune in honor of
whiskey. As he was dying, he called for one last cup of
his favorite brew. His dying words were said to be "the
drink and I have been friends for so long, it would be
a pity for me to leave without one last kiss." And he
died.
Although this work was originally written for Celtic
Harp, I created this arrangement for String Quartet (2
Violins, Viola & Cello).
