( 1695
- 1807)
Denis Hempson is remembered
as one of the last Irish Bards and as a man who's life spanned three
centuries, he was born near Garvagh, in County Derry in 1695, both
his parents were natives of Magilligan on the North Coast.
At the age of three he contracted
smallpox which left him blind, he subsequently took up music as
a career as was the case with Turlough O'Carolan
another famous blind harper born in Nobber County Meath, music was
one of the few career option open to blind people, blind musicians
were quite common in Ireland during the 17th and 18th centuries.
Denis Hempson's talent as an
acomplished player soon became recognised, he developed the teneque
of plucking the strings with his nails rather than the fingertips,
at the age of eighteen he was presented with a magnificent 30 string
Irish Harp by a local landowner. It is thought the Downill Harp,
now in the Guiniss Museum, Dublin may be Hempson's harp, it was
made in 1702 by Cormac O'Kelly, the harps first owner may have been
C O Devlin whos name is inscribed on it.
In 1745 Hempson toured Scotland
he received an invitation to play at Holyrood House for Bonnie Prince
Charlie who was defeated at the battle of Culloden the following
year.
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