Toirdhealbhach Ó Cearbhalláin
Turlough O’Carolan

New for 2019: Spreadsheet of tunes and songs attributed to Carolan. This is a work in progress and will be updated with new information.

Carolan is known today for instrumental music, but most of the tunes attributed to him do or did have words which he composed. A number of his tunes are actually older tunes, which he re-set for his songs.

Carolan's music is notable for combining different influences. As an Irish harper in the 18th century he had been trained in the old Gaelic oral tradition of harp playing and composing. He also is said to have had a fascination with the latest Italian music that was the height of fashion in Dublin. And there is an element of folk-song in his music as the old Gaelic order, which maintained harpers and poets as high-status artists, was collapsing, and like the other 18th century harpers he had to find work where he could.

Carolan composed instrumental music as well as songs for his patrons. He is said to have composed "Carolan's Concerto" when staying with an Italian composer at the house of an Irish nobleman. But its other title, "Mrs Poer" suggests that it may just have been composed for a patron, Elizabeth Power (nee Keating) of Coorheen.

Duration 2:49.
Listen to "Carolan's Concerto" played by Siobhán Armstrong. From her CD "Cláirseach na hÉireann - The Harp of Ireland", Maya MCD0401, 2004. Used with permission.