SNIPPET: Turlough O'CAROLAN, a blind, itinerant musician spent most of his lifetime visiting the gentry in the ancient province of Connach. Although based in the Cos. Roscommon and Leitrim, he was also a frequent traveller to Sligo, Longford, Galway and Westmeath. At a time when Irish life was bleak, he brought music and news to an otherwise entertainment-starved society and was held in high esteem by the Irish aristocracy. O'CAROLAN, known as "the last of the Irish Bards," was born in Nobber, Co. Meath in 1671, but for much of his early life he resided at Alderford estate near the village of Ballyfarnon in Roscommon. Alderford was the home of his primary patrons, the MacDERMOTT ROE family who had him trained as a harper after he lost his sight to smallpox around the year 1688. Ballyfarnon lies under the shadow of Kilronan mountain, in the coal and iron-rich Arigna Mountains. These are the same mountains which drew O'CAROLAN's father Sean, an iron worker, to the region. The scenic Arigna Drive traces a winding and narrow path above the village and offers dramatic views of Lough Allen, the first lake of the Shannon River. The tiny, tidy village of Keadue, Roscommon, has hosted annual O'Carolan festivals in August. For a week, traditional music, ceili dances, harp concerts and competitions have drawn crowds that fill the village of 100 to overflowing. At the edge of the village lies his grave in Kilronan Abbey Church yard. So many visitors have stopped to pay their respects to Ireland's beloved composer that a sign on the road points toward his gravestone. Clonalis House, Castlerea, Roscommon, is home to the O'CONOR family who are the custodians of the O'CAROLAN harp, which has been carefully preserved. The present house was built in the 19th century and there are many interesting documents relating to the O'CONOR family who number two High Kings in their dynasty.