Note 46 — PREFACE.

The Lord Mayo, of the early part of the eighteenth century, here alluded to, was a model of the genuine Irish resident nobleman, living in his rural palace, surrounded by his family, his bards, and musicians. One of these, “his retainer,” David Murphy, composed an Irish Ode of some celebrity, called “Tiagherna Mhaigho,” the “Lord of Mayo,” which another of his retainers, O’Keeneghan, set to music. This Carolan was wont to play at night in the hall of the Burkes, on his harp. It happened that during Carolan’s last visit to Lord Mayo, Geminiani arrived from Italy by special invitation from the amateur Earl; and his Italian music completely usurped the attention of the Ladies Susan and Bridget Burke, of whose praise Carolan was especially jealous, and he frankly complained to his noble host of this neglect. Lord Mayo, rallying the bard on his feelings, concluded by telling him, that when he should produce the same music as Geminiani, he would meet with the same attention. On this Carolan proposed a wager, that he on his harp would follow the Italian in any piece of his composition, but that Geminiani should not follow him through an Irish planxty: the wager was accepted by the Italian, and won by the Irish bard.