Charles Fanning, Irish harper, born Foxford,

County Mayo County Mayo (; ga, Contae Mhaigh Eo, meaning "Plain of the Taxus baccata, yew trees") is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Conn ...

, 1736, died after 1792. A son of a comfortable farmer and notable harper named Loughlin Fanning, he was taught by

County Roscommon "Steadfast Irish heart" , image_map = Island of Ireland location map Roscommon.svg , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Ireland , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 = Connacht , subdi ...

harper, Thady Smith. A friend and rival of Arthur O'Neill, Fanning performed at the Granard Harp Festivals of 1781, 82 and 83, each time winning first prize. He accomplished the same feat at Belfast in 1792. Captain Francis O'Neill said of him:

"Charles Fanning preferred Ulster to his native province, and although certain important episodes in his life happened at Tyrone, his chief haunts were in the County of
Cavan Cavan ( ; ) is the county town of County Cavan in Ireland. The town lies in Ulster, near the border with County Fermanagh in Northern Ireland. The town is bypassed by the main N3 road that links Dublin (to the south) with Enniskillen, Bally ...
. The mistake of his life was marrying the kitchen maid of one of his early patrons, a Mrs. Baillie who was a good performer on the harp herself, and who had entertained him at her table, and introduced him to genteel company. The result is well expressed in the concise language of Bunting: “He was also patronized by the celebrated Earl of Bristol, the great Bishop of Derry; but in consequence of having married a person in low life and corresponding habits, he never attained to respectability or independence."

External links

* http://billhaneman.ie/IMM/IMM-VIII.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Fanning, Charler 1736 births 18th-century Irish male musicians 18th-century Irish harpists Musicians from County Mayo 1790 deaths People from Foxford