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During
his thirty-two years on the force, and after his retirement
in 1905, O’Neill devoted much of his private life to his intense passion
for the traditional music of his native Ireland—a tradition
that was in danger of extinction due to the effects of the Great
Famine and the subsequent Irish Diaspora. Realizing this tragic
possibility, the Chief developed an extraordinary network of musicians
both in Chicago and Ireland, and often found jobs on the force
for the best pipers. He read every book he could find about Irish
music, and had standing orders with booksellers in America, Britain,
and Ireland for relevant publications. In 1901, he helped establish
the Irish Music Club of Chicago, with himself as president, and
seized every opportunity for the promotion, performance, and education
of Irish music.
Most
importantly, Francis O’Neill’s mind was always teeming
with music, as he collected hundreds of tunes in his head that he
would hear in informal sessions, various Gaelic events, and even
on his street patrol. In the midst of a session, he was the musician
who could not only make the personal connection between tunes in
oral circulation, but who also had an understanding of their chronology
and distribution on the basis of their printed history. With the
help of many devoted collaborators, O’Neill collected over
2,000 tunes in manuscript, which would result in several published
works. The most famous of which was the 1903 publication of O’
Neill’s Music of Ireland. Containing 1,850 melodies,
it was the largest collection Irish music ever printed.
Chief
Francis O’Neill died on January 26, 1936, but the musical tradition
that he revived lives on forever in his hometown Chicago, in his
native Ireland, and in Irish communities all over the world. To
celebrate his life and the music of his people, your hosts—All-Ireland
musicians Brendan & Siobhan
McKinney —invite you to enjoy our good food and proper pints,
the loveliest airs & reels, and all the other good craic here
at Chief O’Neill’s Pub.
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