Francis X. Hennessy

performer, dancer, teacher

b. probably Canada circa 1858
d. The Bronx, New York Sep. 22, 1937

Either of these men might be Hennessy, or not.
"Then Ho! For the Jig and Reel" New York Press April 27, 1890 p. 7 column 1
New York NY Press 1890 - 0900.pdf

New York Clipper June 16, 1906 p. 456 column 4
http://archive.org/stream/clipper54-1906-06#page/n51/mode/1up

" Portrait of Hennessy pasted into old copy of O'Neill's Music of Ireland by Francis O'Neill, published 1903. Perhaps taken in 1908 and presented to Michael Carney in 1932. Courtesy of Jimmy O'Brien Moran.

Francis X. Hennessy was a great one for advertising. He ran ads for years in theatrical trade publications and in at least one Irish-American newspaper, the New York Advocate. Here is a typical one from 1910 which was repeated many times:

NY Advocate Dec. 24, 1910 p. 2 column 7
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1911 - 0433

This ad ran many times in 1913:

"Reliable A--1 Professional.
"Francis X. Hennessy
"Irish Union Piper and Violinist Musician. Irish or Scotch War Pipes for parading.
"Unless you are deaf and dumb, I can teach you to play (old or young) by my easy, quick method, by ear or by note, on violin, 10 lessons, $10; children under 15 years half price. Waltz and two step, 10 private lessons, $5. Also Irish step and Scotch fling dancing taught.
"Irish Music, airs hornpipes, reels, jigs, etc., as played in pipers' style, written to order.
"Address 322 2d Ave., near 19th St., New York, N. Y.
" 'Phone, 4884 Gramercy."
NY Advocate Dec. 14, 1912 p. 7 column 6
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1911 - 1252

Hennessy played Irish pipes and fiddle at dances, exhibitions, concerts, parties in the New York City area; the usual medley of engagements available to someone who played Irish music. He taught violin and dancing; there is no evidence that he taught pipes.

Hennessy had a lengthy and varied career as music performer and teacher, but his most enduring interest seemed to be dance. The first and last newspaper references to him, at least 44 years apart, are dance related.

Earliest references to him are from 1890, as organizer of "Francis X. Hennessy's Organization of Old Irish Step Dancers," sometimes called the "Francis Xavier Hennessy Association." The year of their first annual dance is uncertain, years between 1880 and 1886 put forward in various advertisements and announcements. The organization was active, or perhaps better to say sustained, by Hennessy, at least through 1913. Earliest descriptions describe events of a rural if not rustic character, though held in Manhattan. Dance competitions were held, along with general group dancing.

Describing the 1890 annual ball,

"It is only necessary to add that the Francis Xavier Hennessy Association held its annual ball Saturday evening in Pythagoras Hall [on Canal St.]. On this occasion, as on many previous occasions of a like character, it did what it could to preserve the old traditional fashion of Irish dancing, such as hornpiping, reeling and jigging to the tune of the Irish pipes. There was $1200 worth of these instruments present, each pipe was valued at $300.
"In order to furnish an inducement to competitors, two genuine Irish prizes, consisting of a 12-pound pig and a goose ... were offered. ...
"A platform for the competitive dancing had been erected in the middle of the ballroom. It was about 10 by 6 and about 5 feet high. ...
"The first to enter the lists was Mrs. Mary Barry, the mother of William Barry, the comedian. She proved to be a very little woman of 65. ... She wore black silk and on her bosom lay a gold medal, which she had won in the dancing contests of the Hennessy society last year.
"As Mrs. Barry mounted the platform a howl of appreciation greeted her and the four pipers began a preparatory monkeying with their silver-keyed instruments.
...
"At 2.30 o'clock the revel was at its height. The Tipperary Volunteers, in uniform, under command of Capt. Mulcahy, were swinging the Irish girls like animated tops, and in every corner was a piper playing away as if his life depended on his exertions. ..."

This is early for efforts at preservation of Irish dance, in the early days of, if not before, the nationalist Gaelic Revival. Certainly before the more genteel efforts of the Gaelic League, founded 1893. These accounts of Hennessy Association events mention participants who have connection with Tipperary and Kerry. Perhaps Hennessy's parents were from Munster. When the Gaelic League in London turned its attention to the revival of Irish dancing, circa 1897, important informants were dancers and dancing masters from Kerry and Cork.

As the years passed the nature of the events changed. The "32nd grand annual" of what was now called the "Organization of Old Country Step Dancers" was advertised in 1912. No mention of competitions. However, in an announcement, Hennessy promised "... an extra band of musicians to play between the Irish dances for waltzers and two-steppers, but those rubber-neck degenerate wiggle dancers, were never wanted at our dances, and we'd rather lose money than get seasick looking at them." Except for the appeal to old-timers and the plainspoken language, this dance seems like many others of its time: two bands, one for Irish and one for "American" dancing, waltz and two-step, and in this case Irish and American dances played alternatively. No reference to the organization has been found after 1913.

There are few newspaper references to Hennessy in the 1890s. In 1902 and 1903 he played at two lawn parties with Pat Touhey, the foremost Irish piper of his generation. Touhey played pipes, Hennessy fiddle. A letter about a Touhey-Hennessy engagement in 1905 suggests that Hennessy played with Touhey at the St. Louis World's Fair in 1904. There is no evidence for this.

From about 1905 to 1915, if advertising is any indication, Hennessy tried to get work in vaudeville. These efforts were probably not successful, since there are few newspaper references to any vaudeville act in which he was a part.

Billboard Dec. 18, 1915 p. 141 column 4
Billboard 1916 - 0290.pdf

Many of his piping engagements seemed to support an older style of dancing, perhaps of music. Here is part of a description of a picnic near Yonkers, NY, in 1908, a benefit for St. Joseph's Chapel, Bronxville, NY:

The features of the evening were provided by Frank Hennessey, of New York, the well known Irish bagpipe player, and by the members of the Gaelic societies of New Rochelle and Yonkers, who gave an exhibition of eight-hand Irish reels and jigs on one of the platforms, while music was furnished by Mr. Hennessey on the bagpipe and James McFadden on the violin. Many of the old residents of the place, who had not been at a picnic in fifty years, caught the spirit of the occasion and it was not long before the platform was crowded with dancers, young and old, who danced the jigs and reels. Later in the evening regular dancing was enjoyed.

By 1912 his performance activities began to transition to bandleader. For example, from March to October 1913 "Prof. Hennessy's Irish Orchestra" supplied the music for dancing Saturday and Sunday evenings at "O'Shea's Irish Dance Hall" in Manhattan.

In the late teens he was in the touring companies of stage plays, "Old Erin" (1916), "Hearts of Erin" (1917), and "Eileen" (1917).

Performance activities seemed to diminish in the 1920s, but he kept up his continual advertising as dance and violin teacher. Occasionally he is mentioned as a player, for example as one of a crowd of players at a benefit for piper Michael Carney, May 1926. There is a sense that he was on the fringe of the Irish musical community. Not often mentioned with the leading lights, James Morrison, Michael Carney, Tom Ennis, etc.

In 1930 he had some national press coverage:

NEW YORK-"Murder!" yelled somebody over the telephone to police headquarters, giving a basement address in the west forties. Officers approaching heard strange noises. The cause of them presented his card: "Francis X. Hennessy, reliable A1 professor Scotch highland piper." Detectives deduced from smiles that ingenious neighbors had found a way to obtain relief from bagpipe practice.

Hennessy died September 22, 1937. In his last years, from at least 1928 on, he advertised as dance teacher only. The emphasis on Irish dance was absent. "I specialize in all Latest Dances-New York, Hesitation, Boston Glide, One Step, Etc." But he styled himself as "New York Dancing Master," perhaps a reminder of the Irish dancing masters of old. His last advertisement, similar to the one below, was published after his death in the October 2nd issue of the Advocate.

NY Advocate May 11, 1935 p. 8 column 1
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1935-1936 - 0187.pdf

Census and other official records indicate that Hennessy was probably born in Canada and immigrated to the US when about 10 years old. In 1923 he attended a dance in New York City and was described as "Prof. Francis Z. Hennessey, the famed Kerry Union Piper," a likely clue as to where his parents were born. He married Delia, maiden name perhaps Gilbane, about 1885. They had nine or ten children, six of which survived. By 1915 Francis X. was apparently living apart from his wife and those children still at home. He died in what is now called St. Barnabas Hospital, Bronx, NY, age 79. Burial place, if there is one, is not known.

Selected References

"The 32d grand annual set and Irish step dances of the Francis X. Hennessy's Organization of Old Country Step Dancers." NY Advocate March 23, 1912 p. 3 column 6
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1911 - 0942

"At Bronxville Successful Picnic" Mt. Vernon NY Daily Argus Aug. 11, 1908 p. 3 column 2
Mount Vernon NY Daily Argus 1908 - 1657.pdf

"Did He Win First Prize?" [letter to Editor] NY Irish American Advocate April 22, 1905 p. 4 column 6
Microfilm from New York State Library, Albany

Dowling, Martin "Traditional Music Revivals" The Encyclopaedia of Music in Ireland University College Dublin Press 2013 pp. 1000-04

"Flashes of Life in Today's News By the Associated Press" [Murder! yelled somebody]Lockport [NY] Union-Sun and Journal July 17, 1930 p. 2 column 2
Lockport NY Union Sun Journal 1930 - 1986.pdf

"Grand Revival of the Art Of Irish Step and Set Dancing." NY Advocate April 13, 1912 p. 4 column 1
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1911 - 0968

Hall, Reg A Few Tunes of Good Music London 2016 pp. 169-72
https://www.topicrecords.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/few-tunes-reg-hall.pdf

"Knocknagoshel Ladies Have Popular Dance" [the famed Kerry Union Piper] NY Advocate Feb. 17, 1923 p. 7 column 3
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1922-1924 - 0545.pdf

"Learn to Dance The Cyrilla Studio of Modern Dance" NY Advocate May 11, 1935 p. 8 column 1
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1935-1936 - 0187.pdf

McLoughlin, C. O'Connor "Then Ho! For the Jig and Reel" New York Press April 27, 1890 p. 7 column 1
New York NY Press 1890 - 0900.pdf

"Real Old Irish Jigs." Boston [MA] Weekly Globe Oct. 4, 1890 p. 6 column 5
NewspaperArchive.com

Nick Whitmer
July 2018, additions Feb. May 2023