CAROLAN COMPOSITIONS
 
 
 
 
 
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Turlough o'Carolan (1670-1738)

 

The celebrated Irish itinerant harper and composer was born in Co. Meath, and due to smallpox became totally blind at eighteen years old. Despite the harsh anti-catholic penal codes of 17th century Ireland, instigated by Cromwell, which destroyed much of the ancient Gaelic order, the native Irish Gaelic speaker and devout catholic Carolan was able to lead a successful life. The metal strung harp, even in its decline was the supreme instrument
of the day, and the harpers, many of whom were blind,
were the inheritors of a rich and ancient musical and poetic heritage.
Although it's a testament to the lasting popularity of Carolan's music that so much it has survived, it's a pity that only the melody lines have been passed down to us. I'm sure that Carolan used both hands while playing, so, what I have tried to do with these arrangements is to arrange Carolan's wonderful airs with tasteful bass accompaniment. Just as a harper would tune the harp to a key, I have used suitable open guitar tunings for the sake of simplicity and ease of playing in the original key of the composition.



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 Turlough O'Carolan
 (1670 - 1738)
 Irish Harper & composer

 NOW AVAILABLE ON DISK

 CLICK HERE FOR DETAILS

Click HERE for a Youtube of
John Byrne at a Fleadh Banjo Competition playing Carolan's Draught fingerpicked on a tenor banjo           

T
hese Carolan compositions are all arranged for solo fingerstyle guitar
 Click  to download a   MIDI

 

These Carolan compositions are all arranged for solo fingerstyle guitar

 
 
 
 
CAROLAN COMPOSITIONS KEY

capo
on
fret

TUNING TAB

MIDI

1

Baptist Johnston
(thanks Dick Gaughn)

A 0 EADEAE
2

Beauty in Tears

D 0 DADGAD
3

Betty MacNeill

Am 2 DGDGBbD
4

Betty o'Brien

D 0 DADGAD
5

Brian Maguire

F 3 DADGAD
6

Bridget Cruise 1st Air

Em 2 DADGAD
7

Bridget Cruise 2nd Air

C 0 EGCGCE
8

Bridget Cruise 3rd Air

C 0 EGCGCE
9

Bridget Cruise 4th Air

G 0 DGDGBD
10

Bumper Squire Jones

D 0 DADGAD
11

Captain Higgins

Am 0 EADGBE
12

Captain O'Kain

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
13

Captain Sudley
(a.k.a. "Carolan's Dowry")

D 0 DADGAD
14

Carolan's Cap

Bm 4 DGDGBbD
15

Carolan's Cup

G 0 DGDGBD
16

Carolan's Dream

Am 2 DGDGBbD
17

Carolan's Farewell to Music

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
18

Carolan's Maggot

Dm 0 DADFAD
19

Carolan's no. 179

D 0 DADGAD
20

Carolan's Quarrel with the Landlady     

G 0 DGDGBD
21

Carolan's Welcome

Am 0 EADGBE
22

Charles o'Connor

C/Am 2 DGDGBbD
23

Colonel Irwin

Dm 0 DGDGBbD
24

Colonel o'Hara

F 3 DADGAD
25

Conor o'Reilly

Am 2 DGDGBbD
26

Constantine Maguire

G 0 DGDGBD
27

Counsellor Dillon

Dm 3 DADGAD
28

Dark, Plaintive Youth, The

Dm 0 DADGAD
29

David Power

F 3 DADGAD
30

Dawning of the Day, The

G 0 DGDGBD
31

Dermot o'Dowd

Am 0 DGDGBD
32

Donal o'Brien

Am 2 DGDGBbD
33

Dr. Delaney

C 0 CGCGCE
34

Dr. John Hart, Bishop of Achonry

A 2 DGDGBD
35

Dr. John Stafford
(a.k.a. "Carolan's Receipt")

G 0 DGDGBD
36

Edward Corcoran

Dm 0 DADFAD
37

Edward Dodwell

C 0 CGCGCE
38

Eleanor Plunkett

Dm 2 DGDGBbD
39

Eveleen's Bower

A 2 DGDGBD
40

Fairy Queen, The

G 0 DGDGBD
41

Fanny Dillon

F 5 DADGAD
42

Frank Palmer

C 5 CGDGBD
43

General Wynne

C 0 CGCGCE
44

Generous Woman, The

D 0 DADGAD
44

George Brabazon 1st Air

G 0 DGDGBD
46

George Brabazon 2nd Air

G 0 DGDGBD
47

George Reynolds

F 3 DADGAD
48

Gerald Dillon

G 0 DGDGBD
49

Henry MacDermott Roe 1st Air

G 0 DGDGBD
50

Hugh Kelly

D 0 DADF#AD
51

Isabella Burke

Dm 0 DGDGBbD
52

James Betagh

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
53

James Crofton

F 3 DADGAD
54

James Daly

C 0 CGCGCE
55

James Plunkett

G 0 DGDGBD
56

John Drury 1st Air

D 0 DADGAD
57

John Drury 2nd Air

F 3 DADGAD
58

John Jones

A 2 DGDGBD
59

Katherine o'More

A 2 DGDGBD
60

Kean o'Hara 1st Air

C 0 CGCGCE
61

Kean o'Hara 2nd Air

G 0 DGDGBD
62

Kitty Magennis

F 0 DGDGBbD
63

Lady Athenry

A 2 DGDGBD
64

Lady Blayney

C 5 DGDGBD
65

Lady Dillon

F 3 DADGAD
66

Lady Gethin

C 5 DGDGBD
67

Lady Laetitia Burke

C 0 CGCGCE
68

Lady St. John

G 0 DGDGBD
69

Lady Wrixon

A 2 DGDGBD
70

Lament for Charles MacCabe

Am 2 DGDGBbD
71

Loftus Jones

A 2 DGDGBD
72

Lord Dillon

F 3 DADGAD
73

Lord Galway's Lamentation

Am 0 DGDGBD
74

Luke Dillon

D 0 DADGAD
75

Major Shanly

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
76

Mary o'Neill
(a.k.a. "Carolan's Favourite Jig")   

A 2 DGDGBD
77

Maurice o'Connor 1st Air

G 0 DGDGBD
78

Maurice o'Connor 2nd Air

F 3 DADGAD
79

Maurice o'Connor 3rd Air

F 3 DADGAD
80

Mervyn Pratt

D 0 DADGAD
81

Michael o'Connor 1st Air

C 0 CGCGCE
82

Michael o'Connor 2nd Air

Gm 0 DADFAD
83

Miss Featherston
(a.k.a. Carolan's Devotion")      

A 2 DGDGBD
84

Miss Goulding

F 3 DADGAD
85

Miss Noble

C 0 CGCGCE
86

Mr. o'Connor

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
87

Mr. Waller

C 5 DGDGBD
88

Mrs. Bermingham 1st Air

Em 0 DGDGBD
89

Mrs. Cole

C 0 CGCGCE
90

Mrs. Costello

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
91

Mrs. Delaney

C 0 CGCGCE
92

Mrs. Edwards

F 3 DADGAD
93

Mrs. Fallon

G 0 DGDGBD
94

Mrs. Farrell

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
95

Mrs. Garvey 1st Air

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
96

Mrs. Harwood

Am 2 DGDGBbD
97

Mrs. Judge

G 0 DGDGBD
98

Mrs. Maxwell

E 2 DADF#AD
99

Mrs. o'Neill of Carlane

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
100

Mrs. o'Rourke

G#m 3 DADGAD
101

Mrs. Sterling

D 0 DADGAD
102

Mrs. Waller

C 5 DGDGBD
103

Nancy Cooper 1st Air

Am 2 DGDGBD
104

Ode to Whiskey

D 0 DADGBE
105

One Bottle More

F 3 DADGAD
106

Owen o'Rourke

D 0 DADGAD
107

Patrick Kelly

C 5 DGDGBD
108

Peggy Morton

C 0 CGCGCE
109

Planxty Browne

G 0 CGDGBD
110

Planxty Burke

F 3 DADGAD
111

Planxty Crilly

D 0 DADGAD
112

Planxty Drew

F 5 DADGAD
113

Planxty Hugh o'Donnell

G O DGDGBD
114

Planxty John o'Connor

G O DGDGBD
115

Planxty o'Daly

Bb 3 DGDGBbD
116

Planxty o'Flinn

D 0 DADGAD
117

Planxty o'Rourke 1st Air

Dm 0 DGDGBbD
118

Planxty Plunkett

Am 2 DGDGBbD
119

Planxty Sweeney

G 0 DGDGBD
120

Planxty Toby Peyton

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
121

Planxty Wilkinson

F 3 DADGAD
122

Richard Cusack

D 0 DADGAD
123

Robert Hawkes

G 0 DGDGBD
124

Seas are Deep, The

Dm 0 DADGAD
125

Separation of Soul and Body

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
126

Sir Arthur Shaen

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
127

Sir Charles Coote

D 0 DADGAD
128

Sir Edward Crofton

G 0 DGDGBD
129

Sir Festus Burke

D 0 DADGAD
130

Squire Parsons

G 0 DGDGBD
131

Thomas Burke

G 0 DGDGBD
132

Thomas Judge
(a.k.a. "Carolan's Frolic")

Dm 0 DADFAD
133

Thomas Leixlip the Proud

D 0 DADGAD
134

Tobias Peyton

Am 2 DGDGBbD
135

Two William Davises, The

F 3 DADGAD
136

William Eccles

C 0 CGCGCE
137

William Ward

Dm 0 DGDGBbD
138

Young Catherine

Gm 0 DGDGBbD
 
 
 
     


 O'Carolan's Harp

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