I have a copy of "The Ancient Music of Ireland by Edward Bunting, Prefaced by the author's complete 'A Dissertation on the Irish Harp and Harpers, including an Account of the Old Melodies of Ireland' " --which was first published in 1840. Some of you may know that Bunting, as a teen, was hired to notate the tunes performed by the last of the old Irish Harpers at the last "great meeting of the Harpers at Belfast, in the year 1792."
In the portion of the indices which list the "Author and Date" of the tunes, he lists the composer in question as "Carolan." On a page of Music, he attributes the composer's tunes as being, "By CAROLAN." I noticed, however, that on one page of Music, opposite "Mrs. Crofton," a tune called "The Lame Yellow Beggar is attributed "By O'CAGHAN."
So there we have it--or don't?