Carolans frolics turlough ocarolan biography

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Early Life and Blindness

Turlough O'Carolan's journey towards becoming one of Ireland's most esteemed harpist-composers began in the small rural town of Nobber, in County Meath.

Born in 1670 to a modest family, he was the son of a blacksmith and his wife, who were both well versed in Irish folklore and traditional music. This familial environment embedded in O'Carolan a profound appreciation for music and storytelling from a young age.

As a teenager, O'Carolan was struck by smallpox, a disease ravaging Europe at the time.

Despite surviving the illness, the smallpox left him permanently blind, closing the door on many vocational paths for a young man in the 17th century