Author: Carolan
Biography:
CAROLAN, Turlough (1670-1738: DIB)
Carolan was a composer and harper whose verses were written in Irish and translated, among others, by Charlotte Brooke (q.v.). He was born near Nobber in County Meath to John or Brian Carolan; his mother’s name and his exact date of birth are not known. The family moved to Ballyfarnon, Roscommon, where Carolan’s father was employed by the MacDermott Roe family. Carolan was blinded by an attack of smallpox when he was eighteen and Mrs. MacDermott Roe arranged for him to be trained as a harper. Her family remained his patrons for the rest of his life. A gifted itinerant harper, Carolan enjoyed special status in Ireland and he was in demand both with Protestant landowners and with Catholic families. He composed and performed instrumental harp music and added verses in Irish. In 1720 he married Mary Maguire of County Fermanagh; they had six daughters and a son who also became a harper although without his father’s success. They lived at Mohill in County Leitrim. Mary Carolan died in 1733. In 1738 Carolan returned to the home of Mrs. MacDermott Roe where he died on 25 Mar. 1738 and was buried in the MacDermott Roe crypt in the Ballyfarnon cemetery. Sydney Owenson (q.v.) had a memorial to him placed in St. Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin. There is also a statue commemorating him in Mohill and from 1988 there has been an annual harp festival in Nobber where he was born. (DIB 30 Oct. 2023; ODNB 30 Oct. 2023)