Life and Times of Legendary Piper Tom Ennis

[Kearnybagpiper]

Dear All

I am doing some research into the life of Tom Ennis and need some help in filling in the gaps.

I know he was born on December 21, 1888 in Omaha, Nebraska to John Ennis, who had emigrated from Kildare, Co. Wexford to Nebraska to work on the construction of the railroad.

Because he played the pipes, Captain O'Neill hired John to be a patrolman in the Chicago Police Department and the entire Ennis family relocated to Chicago.

John taught Tom to play the pipes and Tom became the youngest member of Chicago’s Irish Fiddle Club in the early years of the 20th century. (A picture of the club, including both John and Tom, is shown on page 479 of O'Neil's Irish Minstrels and Musicians)

When Tom was in his 20's he moved to New York where he made a living as a professional piper and founded one of the first Irish-American recording companies, for whom he commercially recorded in the 1910’s and 20’s (Carolan, 1997). He also owned a music store during this same time at 59th Street and Columbus Circle in NYC.

The 1930 census shows him living on Booth Street, in Queens NY with his wife, Carol, and his Father, John.

Ennis died of a heart attack in Jonesville, Michigan, while on tour.

Does anyone know the date that Ennis died and where he is buried?

[Kevin L. Rietmann]

What's the research for?

That was the Irish Music Club, not the Irish Fiddle Club. Ennis served in the Army in WWI, was gassed, and invalided home. He played on vaudeville stages in Kent theaters. Kent were a chain of these theaters, I believe. In a letter O'Neill dismissed Ennis's piping as "barely above average." Ouch! O'Neill then eulogized the "two remaining pipers" - Barney Delaney and Patsy Touhey. Those are some high standards.

Eddie Mullaney told Joe Shannon that Tom Ennis was very friendly to pipers, very helpful. NPU have a good copy on their website of a picture of Ennis, in casual garb and smiling broadly. It is believed that the Taylor-esque set owned by Sean Folsom is a Hennelly made for Tom Ennis.

That's about all I know about the guy. I've provided over an hour of recorded evidence, too! Very good piper, far above average if you ask me.

[brianc]

...Because he played the pipes, Captain O'Neill hired John to be a patrolman in the Chicago Police Department ....

Interesting... what's the evidence for this claim? I'm not questioning your integrity nor your research, but it strikes me as odd that this could have truly been the reason that Chief O'Neill would have hired someone "because" his son happened to be a piper (or other musician, for that matter). It seems that it (if true) sheds a rather poor light on Chief O'Neill. And how did O'Neill happen to know of this family, living so far away, after all?

[meemtp]

The father was a piper too. O'Neill is known to have helped many musicians gain employment in the CPD. I can't remember all off hand, but Sgt. Early would be one. McFadden I think too...eh, been awhile since I read up on all that. I really must get a copy of the book for myself...

[brianc]

The father was a piper too. O'Neill is known to have helped many musicians gain employment in the CPD. I can't remember all off hand, but Sgt. Early would be one. McFadden I think too...eh, been awhile since I read up on all that. I really must get a copy of the book for myself...

Well, yes, it's well known that of the 3,000+ policemen in Chicago, some 2,000+ were either Irish or of Irish descent, so I suppose it's 100% likely that Ennis got the job because of that.

[meemtp]

He was known for liking to "help a brother out". Small potatoes compared to some of the stuff that's been pulled in Chicago! He recruited James Early, Bernard Delaney, John McFadden, James (no-relation) O'Neill, and others that he mentions in his book(s).

Here's some links, not the original writing, but I can't find any reprints of the stuff online.

http://www.proper-records.co.uk/artists ... &alid=2033
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Francis_O'Neill

[billh]

Here's some links, not the original writing, but I can't find any reprints of the stuff online....

You mean Francis O'Neill's books?

http://billhaneman.ie/IMM/
http://billhaneman.ie/AFH/AFH-XI.html (sorry, only Chapter IX so far...)

- Bill

p.s. - If anyone wants to help proofread/edit OCR runs from "Irish Folk Music: A Fascinating Hobby", let me know...

[djm]

There's a tune called Cuz Teehan's. The story I heard was that Irishmen looking for employment would go in and say they were a cousin of Teehan, a well respected Irishman, and they would invariably get the job.

djm

[brianc]

There's a tune called Cuz Teehan's. The story I heard was that Irishmen looking for employment would go in and say they were a cousin of Teehan, a well respected Irishman, and they would invariably get the job.

djm

My Great-grandfather was "the man to see" if one wanted a job on the docks back in the early 1900s. Upon presentation, a single question was asked of the job applicant.

In Irish.

If the job applicant couldn't answer, he was told "Come back tomorrow, nothing today."

If the fellow was too dense to realize what was going on, he'd actually show up the next day, only to go through the same routine.

[josh perkins]

Racial discrimination is so rakishly charming between whites, isn't it?

[brianc]

Racial discrimination is so rakishly charming between whites, isn't it?

Huh?

[Kramden]

There's a tune called Cuz Teehan's. The story I heard was that Irishmen looking for employment would go in and say they were a cousin of Teehan, a well respected Irishman, and they would invariably get the job.

djm

Teahan wasn't really a contemporary of the Chief - certainly not while the Chief was still with the police force. Cuz was born in Co. Kerry around the turn of the century and, from what I've been told, really started out on the Chicago scene in the 1920's or 30's (if there's anyone out there that can substantiate or refute this time period, please do). He worked for the Illinois Central railroad with my wife's Grandfather (also from Kerry) and played at a couple of her family's house parties in the 40's. Supposedly he was a genuinely nice guy. They don't know of any ties to the CPD, though.

Whenever I've asked my in-laws about him, they look at me like I've got a third eye on my forehead! Funny how some people take musicians like him from granted, while the rest of us find them inspirational.

[Paul Reid]

I think Brian McNamara had done some research along these lines, you may want to email him. I found this little bit of stuf, you may have come across it:

http://www.archive.org/search.php?query=tom%20ennis

[No E]

Calling Jim McGuire!

I believe that Jim (who posts on this board from time to time) has done considerable research on Tom Ennis. You might try a PM.

No E

[josh perkins]

Racial discrimination is so rakishly charming between whites, isn't it? big grin


Huh? confused


Well, denying employment based on belonging or not belonging to a particular ethnic group is racial discrimination. Since I think it's safe to say that in America in the early 1900's the only folks speaking Irish would have been Irish-born or born of Irish parents, you've described a situation where you could get a job on the docks only if you were Irish. My point is that the anecdote has a whole different tone than if, say, the applicant was Mexican and was denied work because he couldn't answer in English--because the Irish were, until very recently, a sort of downtrodden and poorly treated subset of white America (except in Boston, where I'm from--there, you can't scratch your unmentionables before clearing it with an Irishman). All of which has nothing to do with Tom Ennis. Please carry on.