{{Short description|Irish harper and composer}} {{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}} {{Use Irish English|date=October 2020}} '''William Connellan''' (c.1630; date of death unknown)<ref>Helen Lawlor: "Connellan brothers", in: ''The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland'', ed. by Harry White and Barra Boydell (Dublin: UCD Press, 2013), p. 234–5.</ref> was an Irish harper and composer for the harp.
==Life== William Connellan was born in Cloonamahon, County Sligo, the younger brother of Thomas Connellan (c.1625–1698). Like Thomas, he became a harper and composer. William is famous for the words and music of "Molly McAlpine", sometimes also known as "Carolan's Dream". Turlough Carolan, Ireland's pre-eminent harper-composer of the late 17th and early 18th century, loved the song so much that he is stated as having said that he "would rather have been the composer of 'Molly McAlpine' than of any melody he himself had ever composed".<ref>According to Edward Bunting: ''The Ancient Music of Ireland'' (Dublin, 1840).</ref> He may also have composed the tune "Caoineach Luimnigh" (The Lament for Limerick). After Thomas's death, he travelled extensively in Scotland, where he was well known. There his version of "Luimnigh" became ''Lochabar No More''. He is also credited with ''Love's A Tormenting Pain'' and probably ''Killiecrankie''.
Arthur O'Neill (1734-1818) refers to William in his memoirs: * ''I heard much of his brother William Connellan, who was a famous harper and a fine composer. He died in the county of Waterford.''
==References== {{reflist}}
==Further reading== * ''The Harpers Connellan: Irish Music of the late 17th Ventury. The Life and Times of the Sligo Harpers William and Thomas Connellan'', Kathleen Loughnane (2009), ISMN 979 0 9002013 3 1.
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Connellan, William}} Category:1630s births Category:17th-century Irish composers Category:Irish male harpists Category:Musicians from County Sligo Category:17th-century Irish male musicians Category:17th-century Irish harpists Category:Year of death unknown Category:Irish traditional music composers
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