Hugh Higgins of Tyrawley was a blind Irish harper, 1737-after 1791. Higgins was a descendant of the

Ó hUiginn Ó hUiginn is the surname of a Gaelic-Irish family of soldiers, poets, and historians located in Connacht. Originally part of the southern Uí Néill based in the Irish midlands, they moved west into Connacht. They were especially associated with w ...

family of poets, scribes, and historians. He was a native of

Tirawley Tirawley (Irish: ''Tír Amhlaidh''`), archaically known as Tyrawley, is a barony extending southward from the north coast of County Mayo, Ireland. It was created during the shiring of County Mayo out of the Gaelic túath or territory of Tír Amhl ...

in north-east

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 ...

and noted as having a more "respectable appearance and retinue than most travelling musicians." O'Neill remarks that "his parents being in comfortable circumstances. Blindness in early life led him to the study of the harp, and being gifted in a musical sense, he made rapid progress." Higgins was a friend of the harper

Owen Keenan Owen may refer to: Origin: The name Owen is of Irish and Welsh origin. Its meanings range from noble, youthful, and well-born. Gender: Owen is historically the masculine form of the name. Popular feminine variations include Eowyn and Owena. ...

, who was imprisoned in

Omagh Omagh (; from ga, An Ómaigh , meaning 'the virgin plain') is the county town of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is situated where the rivers River Drumragh, Drumragh and Camowen River, Camowen meet to form the River Strule, Strule. North ...

for attempting to break into the house of a Mr. Stuart of Killmoon, near

Cookstown Cookstown ( ga, An Chorr Chríochach, IPA: �anˠˈxoːɾˠɾˠˈçɾʲiːxəx is a small town in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It is the fourth largest town in the county and had a population of 11,599 in the 2011 census. It, along with Maghe ...

County Tyrone County Tyrone (; ) is one of the six Counties of Northern Ireland, counties of Northern Ireland, one of the nine counties of Ulster and one of the thirty-two traditional Counties of Ireland, counties of Ireland. It is no longer used as an admini ...

. He was conducting an affair with Mr. Stuart's French

governess A governess is a largely obsolete term for a woman employed as a private tutor, who teaches and trains a child or children in their home. A governess often lives in the same residence as the children she is teaching. In contrast to a nanny, th ...

. Upon hearing of Keenan's plight (according to Captain

Francis O'Neill Francis O'Neill (August 28, 1848 – January 26, 1936) was an Irish-born American police officer and collector of Irish traditional music. His biographer Nicholas Carolan referred to him as "the greatest individual influence on the evolution of ...

), Higgins He was the ''Hugh Higgins, blind Native of Mayo age 75 years'', who performed at the

Belfast Belfast ( , ; from ga, Béal Feirste , meaning 'mouth of the sand-bank ford') is the capital and largest city of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan on the east coast. It is the 12th-largest city in the United Kingdo ...

Harp Festival in 1791. He had performed at

Granard Granard () is a town in the north of County Longford, Ireland, and has a traceable history going back to AD 236. It is situated just south of the boundary between the watersheds of the Shannon and the Erne, at the point where the N55 nationa ...

in 1791 "but won no premiums. In fact, he did not play at all at the second hall at Granard, having taken offense at something connected with the arrangements.

Arthur O'Neill Arthur Edward Bruce O'Neill (19 September 1876 – 6 November 1914), was an Irish Ulster Unionist Party politician who was the first Member of Parliament to be killed in World War I. Early life O'Neill was the second but eldest surviving son of ...

's avowed friendship for Higgins was a guarantee of his respectability."

External links

* http://billhaneman.ie/IMM/IMM-VIII.html * http://billhaneman.ie/IMM/IMM-V.html {{DEFAULTSORT:Higgins, Hugh 1737 births 18th-century Irish male musicians Musicians from County Mayo Irish blind harpists Irish male harpists 1790s deaths Year of death uncertain 19th-century Irish harpists