one of the last Irish harpist-composers and the only one whose songs survive in both words and music in significant number (about 220 are extant).

The son of an iron founder, O'Carolan became blind from smallpox at the age of 18. He was befriended by Mrs. MacDermott Roe, the wife of his father's employer, who apprenticed him to a harper and supported him for the three years of his training, then gave him money, a guide, and a horse. As an itinerant harper, he traveled widely in Ireland. Although never considered a master performer, he was highly regarded as a composer of songs and improvised verse. His tunes appeared widely in 18th-century collections.