Kentucky Irish American. (Louisville, Ky.) 1898-1968, 1899-09-30


kept open house after the old Celtic Gus
tom. No one ever applied to him in vain
for a nights shelter or for passing well
come. He contracted the habit of in
diligence in strong drink, habit which
proved upon and undermined his rather
frail constitution. He lacked the moral
and the physical stamina to continue the
abstinence which at last he tried to inn
pose on himself. We are told by a
charitable apologist of the bard that he
loved whisky not for its own sake. but
because he felt, or thought he felt, that
it gave him poetic inspiration.
His married life was happy. His de-
voted wife died in 1888 and the grief of
the bard was in proportion to his love. A
gloom settled upon him and his harp
rarely thrilled thenceforth, save to songs
of sorrow. He died four years later at
Alderford, in the County Roscommon,
the house of Rev. MacDermot Roe.
when his death was known" says
Hardiman, lit is related that upwards of
sixty clergymen of different denomina-
tons, number of gentlemen from the
surrounding countries, and vast con-
course of country people assembled to
pay the last mark of respect to their
favorite bard. All the houses around
Ballyfarum were occupied by the former,
and the people erected tents in the fields
around Alderford House. The wake
lasted four days. On each side of the
hall was placed keg of whiskey which
was replenished as soon as empted.
Old Mrs. MacDermot herself joined the
female mourners who attended, to
weep as she expressed herself, over her
poor gentleman, the head of all Irish
music" On the fifth day his remains
were brought forth and the funeral was
one of the greatest that for many years
had taken place in Connaught"
O'Carolan was at the time of his death
sixty-eight years of age. His name and
fame are still green in the hearts of his
countrymen, but no stone has ever been
reared to mark the spot where he rests.
AS to his music it is said that he was
quite ignorant of its principles of harmony
and counterpart. Still his native talent
was admired by musicians who had met
him. The story is that certain Gemin-
iani, an Italian master then residing in
Dublin, played for him composition of
great excellence from which, however.
he cut out certain passages and phrases in
order to try his taste. The bard detected
the lapses and said: 1T is beautiful
piece but it limps now and then" The
grandest and widest of his pieces is the
"Fairy Queen" better known as Moore's
"By the Hopes Within Us Springing.
His concerto, which has been arranged by
Sir John Stevenson, was written to decide
wager with an Italian artist. His
ear was exquisite. He loved the hexame-
tiers of Virgil, and though he knew no
Latin, he used to invent meaningless
verses for the pure pleasure he derived
from what Tennyson calls the ocean roll
of rhythm" OF 1.-THE stateliest measure
ever moulded by the lips of man." There
have been poets and harpers since Caro-.
lan's day. Tom Moore, the hummirg
bird of poets, the darling harper of the
Dublin drawing-rooms, is the least Irish
of Irish bards, and does not even APP
proach the natural pathos and humor of
Samuel Lover. The voice of his country
men for a century and a half has declared
that Turlough O'Carolan was the "last of
the Bards.'