Adam Tobin
performer
b. Mooncoin, County Kilkenny, Ireland circa 1865
d. Chicago, Illinois Oct. 22, 1920
From the group photo "Irish Music Club, Chicago" in Irish Minstrels and Musicians by Francis O'Neill, 1913 p. 479 The photo was taken before 1904.
"Tobin's Favorite" is a well-known jig, a tune that most players encounter early on, almost a beginner tune. It was first transcribed and printed by that name in Francis O'Neill's O'Neill's Music of Ireland, 1903, the enormous and influential music collection. There it is credited to "Tobin." Rumor persists that O'Neill changed the tune name for publication, finding the previous name improper. Earlier names associated with the tune were "Pretty Young Girls for Sale" and "Girls for Sale-the Old Way." In this way Adam Tobin gained a measure of immortality, though few know much about him.
Tobin lived in Chicago most of his life and was among the group of musicians who were sources and advisors for O'Neill's collecting activities. He is credited with eight tunes in O'Neill's Music of Ireland, including three hornpipes, among them "Tobin's Resource."
In Irish Minstrels and Musicians O'Neill says that Tobin was born in the parish of Mooncoin, Tipperary. His parents were David and Johanna Tobin. Census, marriage and death records point to various birth years from 1862 to 1870, 1865 the most likely. He learned flute and fiddle in Ireland and emigrated to the United States in the 1880s, perhaps 1883. An Adam Tobin became a US citizen in Chicago in 1892, and this is probably our man. Tobin married Kate O'Connell in 1903. It was his first marriage, her second. She had at least two children by the previous marriage. Adam and Kate had daughter Josephine, born in 1905.
O'Neill describes Tobin as self-taught on flute, fiddle and pipes. He took up pipes after he came to Chicago, inspired by the playing of local piper Barney Delaney. Delaney was active in Chicago from about 1885 to 1912. For some years Tobin tried to earn his living as a musician but was not entirely successful. In the 1900 US Census he is listed as "Musician." In the 1910 Census as "Musician" but that is struck through and "Laborer Rail Road" written above and beside it. In 1920 as "Laborer Meat Co".
Delaney may have been a mentor to Tobin. There are a few newspaper references to them playing together at gigs from 1901 to 1907. Also references to two engagements where Tobin substituted for Delaney for whatever reason.
O'Neill regarded Tobin as a "good player" on pipes and fiddle, no small praise coming from him. Still, O'Neill's highest praise went to pipers Delaney and Pat Touhey.
From 1901 to 1918 performances by Tobin are mentioned in newspapers once or twice a year on average. Delaney was mentioned with about the same frequency during this era. Many gigs went unnoticed by the papers. Most of his known engagements were for Irish and Irish-American "entertainments," where he accompanied exhibition dancers. He played for social dancers at picnics and fairs. There is no evidence he played in vaudeville or theatrical plays. His engagements were sometimes out of town: Cincinnati; St. Louis; Hammond, Indiana; Oshkosh, Wisconsin.
On July 28, 1912 an Irish Feis was held at Gaelic Park, Chicago. 15,000 people were said to have attended. There were competitions for dancers, singers, story tellers, instrumental music.
- At two o'clock sharp the contests started....
Adam Tobin, who afterwards won the Irish pipe contest, started the dancing by striking up "The Connaught Man's Rambles" on the pipes, and immediately a swaying mass of enthusiastic humanity collected around the platform erected for the purpose. In all their finery and in all their gracefulness Irish dancers by the score footed it, while all over the spacious field as far as the eye could reach was a regular sea of faces, with Highland Pipers and Kerry Colleens adding color to the scene....
Francis O'Neill was very impressed with Tobin's efforts at the Feis. According to O'Neill, Tobin played for dancers "several hours," then won first prize in the piping contest "against a young man of great pretensions" (this was Tom Ennis, then 23 years old; Tobin was about 47). Then, O'Neill wrote, "He also tied with two rivals for first prize in the playing of jig, reel and hornpipe on the flute, and that is a good record for one day."
Tobin was at least once later referred to as the bard of Gaelic Park, perhaps because of his efforts that day at the Feis, or perhaps because he had many gigs there. Gaelic Park, at 47th Street and Western Avenue, existed at least from 1912 through 1931 and was the site of many Irish or Roman Catholic sponsored athletic, cultural and social events.
Here is an account of another memorable gig, July 1, 1917:
- More than 25,000 men and women of Irish birth and extraction will take part in a parade and demonstration Sunday in connection with the exercises of the laying of the cornerstone of St. Justin Martyr's church, Seventy-first and Honore streets, of which the Rev. J. K. Fielding is the pastor. [Fielding was, like Tobin, one of O'Neill's musical sources and advisors.]
Adam Tobin, known as the "bard of Gaelic park," seated in an Irish jaunting car and surrounded by a group of little Irish dancers in costumes, will enliven the procession with renditions of traditional Irish music on his Irish bagpipes. One hundred athletes in uniform will constitute the bard's bodyguard.
Tobin died Oct. 22, 1920, about 55 years old, and was buried at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Chicago.
Selected References
"Chicago Feis a Great Success" NY Irish-American Aug. 3, 1912 p. 1 column 1, p. 8 column 1
GenealogyBank.com
"Chicago Leads Ireland as Storehouse of Irish Music" [list of O'Neill's advisors] Chicago [IL] Sunday Tribune March 2, 1902 p. 53 column 1
Chicago IL Tribune 1902 - 1583.pdf
[Ennis, John] "Irish Pipes and Pipers. By Thomas Ennis, Chicago Pipers Club." [pipes as Tobin's profession] The Gael. (An Gaodal.) : a monthly bi-lingual magazine devoted to the promotion of the language, literature, music and art of Ireland. published by M. J Logan, New York. vol. XXI, no. 2 Feb. 1902, p. 37
HathiTrust Digital Library
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044015365901;view=1up;seq=49
"Irish Day" [Rally of Clan Erin on August 16, Delaney scheduled, Tobin played] Cincinnati [OH] Enquirer July 12, 1908 p. 13 column 4 and Cincinnati [OH] Enquirer Aug. 17, 1908 p. 10 column 1
Newspapers.com
Kuntz, Andrew "The Fiddler's Companion" "TOBIN'S JIG (Roga Sant-Aubin)." [previous names] Website accessed Feb. 2019
https://www.ibiblio.org/fiddlers/TIN_TOL.htm
"Lay St. Justin's Corner Stone." Chicago [IL] Daily Tribune June 28, 1917 p. 11 column 3
Chicago IL Tribune 1917 - 6093.pdf
O'Neill, Francis "A Few Gossipy Notes" ["a good player"] From the article 'Francis O'Neill's "Music of Ireland." ' by A. P. Graves Journal of the Irish Folk Song Society vol. V 1907(?) pp. 31-36.
Hathi Trust
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=inu.30000108642194&view=1up&seq=255
O'Neill, Francis Irish Minstrels and Musicians Chicago 1913 p. 336
O'Neill, Francis O'Neill's Music of Ireland: Eighteen Hundred and Fifty Melodies Chicago 1903 "Tobin's Favorite" no. 775 p. 144; "Tobin's Resource" no.1623 p. 301
Parkinson, M "Celebrated Irish Musician Passes Away." [Tobin obituary] Irish News and Chicago Citizen Nov. 5, 1920 p. 2 column 2
Microfilm from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield IL
"Pastor Who Entertained Chicago Irishmen at Aurora Potato Digging Contest and One of the Contestants." [Tobin and Delaney perform together] Chicago [IL] Daily Tribune, Sep. 20, 1907 p. 3
ProQuest Historical Newspapers
Brought to my attention by Michael Kelly, email Feb. 2019
"Program of Court Luers Made Tremendous Hit" Hammond IN Lake County Times March 18, 1910 p. 5 column 3
Library of Congress Chronicling America
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86058242/1910-03-18/ed-1/seq-5/
"St. Patrick's Day Celebration Coming" [Delaney earlier engaged for this gig] Hammond IN Lake County Times Feb. 5, 1910 p. 1 column 3
Library of Congress Chronicling America
https://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/lccn/sn86058242/1910-02-05/ed-1/seq-1/
"To Meet Tomorrow Night." [Captain O'Neill's modern Irish bards; Delaney & Tobin] Chicago [IL] Tribune March 3, 1901 p. 8 column 2
Chicago IL Tribune 1901 - 1183.pdf
Nick Whitmer
Feb. 2019, additions Oct. 2022