Thomas Connellan

Thomas Connellan ( – 1698) was an Irish composer.
Connellan was born about 1640/1645 at Cloonamahon, County Sligo. Both he and his brother, William Connellan became harpers. Thomas is famous for the words and music of "Molly MacAlpin", which is better known today as "Carolan's Dream". 
Turlough O'Carolan, Ireland's pre-eminent composer of the 17th and 18th centuries, loved the song so much that he is stated as saying that he would have traded all his own tunes in order to be the composer of "Molly MacAlpin."
Another tune by Connellan, "Molly St. George", along with "Molly MacAlpin" and "Eileen Aroon" (by Cearbhall O'Dalaigh), comprise the three earliest Irish harp tunes with extant lyrics. Yet another of Connellan's tunes was called "Fáinne Geal an Lae" ("The Dawning of the Day"), also known as "The Golden Star". This has similarities with (but is not the same as), the melody used by Irish poet Patrick Kavanagh for his poem, "On Raglan Road".
According to Arthur O'Neill (1734-1818):
Edinburgh Council record of 11 January 1717 states: