Turlough O’Carolan

Turlough O’Carolan (Toralach O’Cearbhallain) was a blind Irish harper and composer, born at Nobber in Meath in 1670, who played for patrons in many parts of Ireland and died in 1738; Sigerson says he was buried at Kilronan.

Sigerson, in Bards of the Gael and Gall (1907), says that his genius gave fresh life to Irish song. His “Mabel ni Kelly” is given here in Sigerson’s English version, which tries to reproduce the original’s irregular metre.