Famous composer and harpist Turlough O’Carolan spent much of his life in Leitrim. In the 1680s, he moved to Carrick on Shannon with his family where his father was a blacksmith and farm hand on the St. George Estate.
It was the McDermott Roe family in nearby Alderford that offered him patronage and education and arranged for him to be apprenticed to a harpist when he was blinded with smallpox.
It was at Letterfine that he stayed with Squire George Reynolds who, on hearing him play, advised him to turn his hand to composing, as he didn’t think much of his playing. Inspired by the tale of the battle of the fairies on the nearby hills of Sheebeg and Sheemore, O’ Carolan wrote his first and probably most famous piece – “Sí Bheag Sí Mhór”
Leitrim Compositions
O’ Carolan spent much of his time in the Roscommon, Sligo, Mayo and Leitrim areas as can be garnered from his “Planxty” compositions and other titles honouring his patrons – in Roscommon, the McDermott family featured a lot as well as Mr Kelly of Tulsk and Mr Stafford of Elphin where he is said to have written “Receipt for Drinking” as well as “Planxty Stafford”. In Mayo, the Burkes and Costellos featured mostly and in Sligo, the Corcorans, Croftons and O’ Haras.
His Leitrim compositions included some for the Peyton family of Laheen – “Bridget Peyton” and “Toby Peyton”, for his first patron’s family in Carrick on Shannon, he composed “Molly St. George” and for Squire Reynolds, he wrote “Planxty Reynolds”.
For a very comprehensive guide to O’ Carolan’s tunes and ventures, check out “Irish Minstrelsy – Bardic Remains of Ireland” by James Hardiman.
And a condensed guide
Mohill
In 1720, he married Mary Maguire from County Fermanagh when he was almost 50 and they lived near Mohill with their 7 children.
The O’ Rourkes
One of O’Carolan’s earliest friends was Hugh MacGauran, a Leitrim poet and the author of Plearca na Ruarcach or “O’Rourke’s Feast,” which O’ Carolan set to music. The song was written after a raucous Christmas feast held by Brian na Murtha O Ruairc.
Most of O’ Carolan’s compositions were not published or even written down in his lifetime. They survived in the repertoires of fiddlers, pipers, and old Irish harper/singers. Many were collected and published during the late 18th century and beyond, largely beginning with the work of Edward Bunting and his assistants in 1792.
Kitty Tyrrell of Lough Erril
Since many of his compositions were only notated after his death, there occurred disputes over some of the pieces and their authorship.
One of those was the much recorded tune, “Caitlín Tríall/Tírraill” or “Kitty Tyrrell of Lough Erril”. Some argued that Kitty or Caitlín lived near Tyrrellspass near Lough Ennell and that O’ Carolan did not compose it:
Discreetly to deal with each subject in place,
Let us now sing the praises of Kitty of curls ;
For she’s the fine flower of pleasure and grace,
Whose equal’s not seen among hundreds of girls :
Each morning I’m longing to wander away
To the banks of Loch Erril, when daylight dawns there;
For there walks young Kitty, as I have heard say,
With ringlets like branches, a-taking the air.
Ah would that I never had seen your bright head,
Your little pen’s writing or step light and free;
But if once my Lord Bishop the blessing had said,
I’d soon have my Kitty across the salt sea :
She’s fair as the swan of the silver white down,
Than music she’s sweeter, than sunshine more bright;
There’s never an ale-house, from this to the town,
In which I won’t drink her good health before_night!
Oh that Kitty and I, with none else to take part,
Were drinking good liquor behind the green tree!
I think with God’s help I might soften her heart,
And coax her to come from her mother with me:
I read your love-letter last night on the hill,
It was sweeter than music of fairies at eve;
My senses have left me-my head’s very ill-
Oh, my death at your door, Kitty Tyrrell, I leave.
Many have argued that when Hardiman was translating the song lyrics, he misread Lough Erril as Lough Ennell and assumed her to be of the Tyrrells of Tyrrellspass.
In this article from The Leitrim Observer 1988, it is claimed that Kitty, whose mother was Reynolds, did live at Lough Errill and was known for her beauty.
