John Ennis

policeman, writer, piper

b. Killybegs townland, County Kildare, Ireland Dec. 21, 1847
d. Chicago, Illinois Sep. 13, 1930

Photo with the article "Irish Pipes and Pipers. By Thomas Ennis, Chicago Pipers Club." The Gael. (An Gaodal.) New Series vol. 21, no. 2 Feb. 1902, p. 35

John Ennis was active musically in Chicago from the 1890s to about 1919, and in New York City in the 1920s. He was a staunch Irish nationalist and strove to revive and sustain Irish or Gaelic culture. For much of his working life he was a Chicago policeman. Ennis was an amateur piper and a good reedmaker. He had a scholarly and literary bent and was a writer of poetry, verse, song lyrics and articles. Perhaps he considered these his most important and lasting contributions.

Ennis associated with Francis O'Neill, the great music collector, and was a named source in O'Neill's Music of Ireland (1903) for thirty four published tunes, some of which are still commonly played today; "The Gold Ring," "Apples in Winter" and "Toss the Feathers," for examples. His was a musical household and his son Tom Ennis became a professional Irish piper, one of the few in the first third of the twentieth century.

Ennis was born near Prosperous, County Kildare in the Killybegs township. His father raised and dealt cattle. Ennis emigrated to the United States probably in 1868, although another source says he was in Chicago by 1867. By 1870 he was working in a meat packing-house, and perhaps by 1880 was the "superintendent of the lard refinery in Armour's packing-house," an enormous industrial operation. In 1884 Ennis resigned from the packing-house and ran the bar at McCoy's New European Hotel and later his own saloon at Forty-third and Halsted Streets. Nothing is heard of Ennis' saloon after 1885.

Ennis married Anna Lee, his first wife, in Chicago October 23, 1879; they had two children. Anna died in 1886. Ennis married second wife Bridget McMahon in Chicago, January 1888. At the time he was a resident of Omaha, Nebraska. Their first two children were born in Nebraska, the third back in Illinois. This suggests he was in Nebraska at least from 1888 to 1890. Tom Ennis was John and Bridget's first child.

Ennis and family were back in Chicago by 1892. Ennis became a member of the Chicago police force, a patrolman, in 1893. Perhaps he was hired because of the interest or influence of Francis O'Neill, at the time a police lieutenant. In any case Ennis and O'Neill knew each other well, and socialized and enjoyed music with other Chicago Irish musicians.

He could be charming, ingratiating, persuasive. During O'Neill's peak years of tune collection, O'Neill later wrote, Ennis' "interest in the success of our hobby was displayed in a curious way. Suspecting that several pet tunes were withheld from us by a couple of good players, he conceived the scheme of ingratiating himself with the musicians. Affecting unconcern, he contrived to memorize the treasured tunes, and then had them promptly transferred to [transcriber] James O'Neill's notebook." (In a 1906 letter O'Neill tells the same story and names piper James Early and fiddler John McFadden as the withholding musicians. The informant is not named.)

For many years Patrolman Ennis was assigned to the Michigan Avenue police district, which apparently contained the theatre district. From about 1896 to 1911 he was detailed to the Auditorium Theatre and was on duty at the front entrance during grand opera performances. Remarkably, he claimed to have persuaded several of the biggest opera stars of the day to visit his home for a meal of "corned beef and cabbage." Enrico Caruso (1873-1921), Adelina Patti (1843-1919) and Nellie Melba (1861-1931) were named. John McCormack (1884-1945) came for a meal, although it was probably early in his career, when his focus was opera and before he became a world famous Irish tenor.

Ennis wrote a letter to the Chicago Citizen newspaper about "The Irish Bagpipes," October 1893. He commented on the pipers who played at the Chicago World's Fair that year, and argued that these and other pipers deserved much credit for preserving Irish traditional music. This is the earliest example of Ennis' writing to be found, and the earliest proof of his interest in music. He names the best of the Chicago pipers, including James Early and Barney Delaney, and mentions "others of less skill, including the writer."

In his writings, at least, he was a man of strong and severe opinions. He saw the survival of Irish culture as a struggle against British oppression and a broader cultural degeneracy. Ennis had specific and strict opinions about what constituted "real" Irish music and dance. He believed that traditional Irish music could not be properly played on fixed-pitch instruments; piano, banjo, accordion, and so forth: the music required instruments which could play subtle "intervals" between the fixed notes; pipes, fiddle, flute. Ennis was silent on the place of the harp (a fixed-pitch instrument) in the tradition. He was also of the opinion that only Irishmen and women could play the music with true spirit and expression.

In 1905 the Irish Music Club of Chicago, of which John Ennis was president, sponsored a dance. About 500 people attended.

It was the original intention of the society to have nothing but the old Celtic music and dances, but the younger element insisted on being allowed to waltz and two-step.

"If you must dance the waltz and two-step," President John Ennis of the society told them, "it will be to ancient Irish airs."

There were many protests, but when the dance began it was remarked that the music was unusually good.

"I wonder what new piece that is?" one young woman asked her companion. The question was answered by President Ennis.

"That," he said,"is the latest two-step. It was played by an Irishman called O'Brien some ten centuries ago."

The Irish Music Club of Chicago was formed about 1901, and Ennis was one of its initial organizers and its longtime president. Its goal was to revive the old melodies, dances and songs. The club sponsored an annual festival, picnics, dances, and at least once published an old melody, with new words by Ennis, to promote and sell. The song, "The Shady Road to Clane," is not entirely forgotten. The lyrics are reproduced in Colm Ó Lochlainn's More Irish Street Ballads (Dublin 1965 pp. 152-3, 217), credited to "John Dennis."

A well-known photograph of club members, probably taken shortly after it was formed, is reproduced in O'Neill's Irish Minstrels and Musicians. Ennis and his son Tom sit among a crowd of the finest Chicago Irish musicians. But in 1906 Francis O'Neill wrote in a private letter, "The president [Ennis] proved to be tactless and inconsiderate. His domineering ways offended and alienated all who were of any advantage to the club."

In April 1909 John Ennis was sued in Circuit Court as "former officer" for refusing to turn over books and documents to the new president. The rebellion did not last long, for his son Tom was elected club president in July of that year. Newspaper announcements of club activities cease after the 1911 annual meeting.

In 1911 Ennis was abruptly transferred from his position as "Grand Opera Cop" to patrolling a less respectable district. "I have no complaint to offer," said Ennis. "A good soldier does as he is told. Chief McWeeny is the boss. It is his privilege to send me where he wants to. But it is quite a contrast, isn't it - from grand opera to the ribald songs of the red light!" He was on the job in 1915 when a newspaper ran an official police report he wrote in verse, about an unsafe railroad underpass. Ennis retired from the police force Oct. 1, 1919.

Ennis' wife Bridget died in 1918. His son Tom had become a professional entertainer on the Irish pipes, was a veteran of World War I, and by 1920 had moved to New York City. John joined him there and quickly became involved in the Irish music scene.

There are newspaper references to Ennis in New York City 1921-23. His address, 15 Columbus Avenue, was the same as a music store run by his son during these years. For a time he gave piping lessons through New York's Irish Music Club. At least five of his poems were published in the Advocate, a New York Irish-American newspaper. One of them, about a social meeting of the "Craft," a group of Irish musicians, has been often referred to by Irish music historians. Well-known musicians, including Michael Carney, Jim Morrison and Reedy Johnson, are described in verse. It has been suggested that the nature of the event, with musicians playing solo in turn, is an example of practice before the advent of present-day Irish music sessions, which became common in the 1950s or later.

John Ennis may have moved back to Chicago in the mid or late 1920s. Pipemaker Patrick Hennelly, who moved to Chicago in 1928 (another source says 1926), recalled Ennis as one who helped teach him how to make reeds. Chicago piper Kevin Henry, who knew Hennelly well, says that Ennis encouraged Hennelly to repair pipes, then later to make pipes.

Whatever the timing of his meetings with Hennelly in Chicago, Ennis was listed as living in Queens, New York City, in the 1930 US Census, with his son Tom and Tom's wife Coral. The census enumeration was in April. By September of that year he had returned to Chicago. He was struck and killed by a street car Sep. 13, 1930 at 65th and South Halsted streets, near his residence. Ennis was buried next to his second wife at Mount Olivet Cemetery, Chicago. The graves are unmarked as of this writing.

Seamus Kelly and Aileen Saunders published A Biography of Chicago Patrolman John Ennis and his Piper Son Tom 1847-1931: Music Makers from Kildare to America in 2022. This thorough book complies much information, some of it new, contains previously unseen photographs, and reprints many of John Ennis' poems.

Selected References

"Children Dance the Ancient Rinnca Fadha for First Time in Chicago." Chicago Daily Tribune June 26, 1905 p. 3 column 3
Chicago IL Tribune 1909 - 1495.pdf

Cook, Tom Chicago Irish Families, 1875-1925 database on-line, citing an obituary in the Chicago Citizen Dec. 18, 1886 [in Chicago 1867; at lard-refinery; death of first wife] Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2000

"Dark Stirs Poet 'Cop' to Verse" [Ennis writes police report in verse] Chicago Examiner Oct. 30, 1915 p. 3 column 5
Access Newspaper Archive

Ennis, John "The Irish Bagpipes" Chicago Citizen Oct. 21, 1893 p. 5 column 3
Microfilm from the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL.

[Ennis, John] "Irish Pipes and Pipers. By Thomas Ennis, Chicago Pipers Club." 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, pp. 33-38
HathiTrust Digital Library
https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.32044015365901;view=1up;seq=45

Ennis, John "The Revival of Erin's Language and Music in Chicago" [lyrics to "Shady Road to Clane"] Chicago IL Inter Ocean June 11, 1905 Magazine p. 2 column 1
Newspapers.com

Ennis, John "With The Poets Irish Musicians of New York Reviving the Ancient Music of Ireland" [a social meeting of the "Craft"] NY Advocate May 21, 1921 p. 2 column 1
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1919-1921 - 1070
A reprint, complete and easier to read in An Píobaire vol. 4 no. 21 August 2003 pp. 26-28
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?galleryId=1013&mediaId=26007

"Grand Opera Cop Loses Job" Chicago Daily Tribune July 29, 1911 p. 3 column 2
Newspapers.com

Hayden, James A. "News, Notes & Comment. Doings of the Irish Music Club." [teaches pipes through this New York club] NY Advocate June 9, 1923 p. 2 column 4
New York NY Irish American Advocate 1922-1924 - 0674.pdf

"Irish Music Club Election." Chicago Daily Tribune July 12, 1909 p. 7 column 2
ProQuest Historical Newspapers

"John Ennis" [superintendent of lard refinery; leases bar at McCoy's New European Hotel] Chicago Citizen May 17, 1884 p. 8 column 1
From microfilm at the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library, Springfield, IL

Kelly, Seamus and Aileen Saunders A Biography of Chicago Patrolman John Ennis and his Piper Son Tom 1847-1931: Music Makers from Kildare to America privately published 2022 303 pp. [born in Killybegs; emigrated to America 1868; runs saloon, 1885; his first marriage; becomes policeman in 1893, retires from police Oct. 1919.]

Lahif, Edward M. "There are a Lot of Dublin Irishmen in Chicago" [born at Prosperous, Kildare] Chicago Sunday Tribune June 27, 1909 p. 6 column 4
Chicago IL Tribune 1909 a - 4289.pdf

"Loss To Stage Lovers." [a patrolman for 20 years] Los Angeles [CA] Times July 30, 1911 p. 5
Newspapers.com

McCullough, Lawrence E. "Pipemaker's Corner Patrick Hennelly" [Hennelly to Chicago in 1928] The Pipers' Review vol. 14 no. 4 Fall 1995 pp. 3-6
https://pipers.ie/source/media/?galleryId=1036&mediaId=26359

"Old Irish Melodies Revived." [publishing "The Shady Road to Clane"] NY Gaelic American Sep. 29, 1906 p. 5 column 6
GenealogyBank.com

O'Neill, Francis "A Few Gossipy Notes" From the article 'Francis O'Neill's "Music of Ireland." ' [Early and McFadden withhold music] 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
accessed March 2020

O'Neill, Francis Irish Folk Music Chicago 1910 p. 37 [memorizes withheld tunes]

O'Neill, Francis Irish Minstrels and Musicians Chicago 1913 [Irish Music Club disintegration p. 368; photo of Club members p. 479]

O'Neill, Francis letter to Patrick O'Leary, Dec? 1906 p. 9 ["his domineering ways"]
Richie Piggott "A Chicago archive of Irish traditional musicans & storytellers" website "Unpublished Letters of Capt. Francis O'Neill" Accessed Jan. 2024
https://www.richiepiggott.com/o-neill-letters.html

O'Neill, Francis O'Neill's Music of Ireland Chicago 1903 [named source for 34 tunes]

Piggott, Richie telephone conversation Feb. 25, 2019. [Henry says Ennis encouraged Hennelly]

"Rift in Lute of Music Club." [Ennis sued as former club president] Chicago Daily Tribune April 16, 1909 p. 9 column 1
Chicago IL Tribune 1909 - 0465.pdf

Nick Whitmer
September 2019; additions Oct. 2019, March 2020, Oct. 2022, Jan. 2024