Annotation:Young Tom Ennis

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The Chicago Irish Music Club, around 1903. Tom Ennis is the boy seated in the center of the picture.

YOUNG TOM ENNIS (Tomás Og Magennis/Mac Aengusa). AKA and see "Banshee that Wailed over the Mangle Pit (The)," "Banshee's Wail Over the Mangle Pit (The)." Irish, Double Jig. A Dorian. Standard tuning (fiddle). AABB. Tom Ennis was indeed the youngest member of Chicago’s Irish Fiddle Club in the early years of the 20th century. A budding piper and fiddler, he was the American-born son of piper and flute player John Ennis of Kildare, from whom O’Neill obtained this tune. When Tom reached maturity 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). Ennis died of a heart attack in Jonesville, Michigan, while on tour. See “Banshee's Wail Over the Mangle Pit (The)” for a transposed version of this tune, and see also the related “Kilkenny Jig (The).”

Source for notated version: Chicago police patrolman, piper and flute player John Ennis, originally from County Kildare [O’Neill].

Printed sources: O'Neill (Krassen), 1976; p. 41. O'Neill (Music of Ireland: 1850 Melodies), 1903; No. 908, p. 169. O'Neill (Dance Music of Ireland: 1001 Gems), 1907; No. 153, p. 40.

Recorded sources: Gael linn CEFCD 114, Tony MacMahon & Noel Hill – “I gCnoc na Graí.” Green Linnet GLCD 1211, Kevin Crawford – “In Good Company” (2001). Shanachie 79093, Paddy Glackin and Robbie Hannon – “Whirlwind” (1995).

See also listing at:
Alan Ng's Irishtune.info [1]
Jane Keefer's Folk Music Index: An Index to Recorded Sources [2]