Descended from the once powerful Leitrim clan, O’ Duigenan would be considered as a master of tradition, history, music and song. His ancestors would have been bards and official historians to the O’ Connors and O’ Rourkes and one of the four masters was an O’ Duigenan
See more about the O’ Duigenan’s of Castlefore
– from “Leitrim Treasure – Generations of Historical Social and Human Interest Stories” published in 2013
Jerome or Jeremiah who was born in 1710 was a harpist and it is thought that he was probably a pupil of O’ Carolan’s. There are many accounts from various sources of Colonel Jones from Drumshanbo wagering a bet with an English nobleman that he could produce a harpist to equal or better one the Englishman had brought from Wales. O’ Duigenan performed in his “dress made of beaten rushes” and played before the House of Commons in Dublin and all agreed that he was the better harpist of the two.
Accounts from Duchas Schools Collection
Drumshanbo – Collector Sarah McManus from her father Michael McManus
Teacher – Margaret Flynn
https://www.duchas.ie/en/cbes/4605949/4605168
Aughacashel – Collector Joseph Conifry (teacher in the school) from Matthew Conifry
Indeed, O Duigenan was said to have begun his performance with a song composed for the O’ Rourke’s of Breifne namely Pléaráca na Ruarcach and followed up with many other O’ Carolan numbers as well as some tear-jerking laments.
See here an article from Simon Chadwick tracing O Duigenan in Drumshanbo:
Tracing Jeremy Duigenan in Drumshanbo
And listen to his recreation of the set-list that O’ Duigenan was supposed to have performed in parliament.
As well as O’ Duigenan and O’Carolan, other harpists who were either from Leitrim or stayed with patrons in Leitrim are written about in various accounts – Charles O’ Beirne who owned estates in Drumsna and Jamestown, Dungannon born Arthur O’ Neill and Arthur O’ Neill from Foxford who both spent much time with many of those who had once been O’ Carolan’s patrons in Leitrim and Roscommon and a Lawrence Kane thought to be from Keonbrook was registered as having taken part in the third Harp Festival held in Granard in 1785.
Much more can be gleaned about the festival, the efforts to revive traditional music, notate the tunes and songs from the following two articles:
St. Benen in Dromahair by Rev. Joseph Meehan from the Catholic Bulletin Vol 111, 1913
Irish Music: Efforts at Revival by M.J. Masterson in the Ardagh and Clonmacnoise Antiquarian Society Journal from 1935
For a more comprehensive account of traditional Irish music, its roots, its challenges and how it changed over the years up to post famine times, read:
A History of Irish Music by Wm. H. Grattan Flood
Jerome/Jeremiah is also mentioned years later by Drumshanbo man Joe Mooney who strove to preserve and promote the true traditional music, song and dance of Leitrim.
Joe Mooney on music and Jeremiah – Leitrim Guardian 1976
