Niall Tóibín (; 21 November 1929 – 13 November 2019) was an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

comedian and actor. Born in

Cork Cork or CORK may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container ***Wine cork Places Ireland * Cork (city) ** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...

into an

speaking family, Tóibín grew up on the north-side of the city in Bishop's Field. He appeared in ''

Ryan's Daughter ''Ryan's Daughter'' is a 1970 British Epic film, epic Romance film, romantic drama film directed by David Lean and starring Robert Mitchum and Sarah Miles. The film, set between August 1917 and January 1918, tells the story of a married Irish ...

'', ''

Brideshead Revisited ''Brideshead Revisited: The Sacred & Profane Memories of Captain Charles Ryder'' is a novel by English writer Evelyn Waugh, first published in 1945. It follows, from the 1920s to the early 1940s, the life and romances of the protagonist Charles ...

'', ''

Bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that have alternating generations, large plants that produce spores and small plants that produce sex cells (eggs ...

'', ''

The Ballroom of Romance ''The Ballroom of Romance'' is a 1982 film directed by Pat O'Connor, based on a short story by William Trevor, set in rural Ireland in the 1950s, Plot Bridie has been attending the local dance hall for years in the hope of finding a good husband ...

'', ''

The Irish R.M. ''The Irish R.M.'' is a trilogy of books by the Anglo-Irish novelists Somerville and Ross and a 1983 television comedy-drama series based on them. They are set in the turn-of-the-twentieth-century west of Ireland. Books The television series ...

'', ''

Caught in a Free State ''Caught in a Free State'' was a dramatised television series made by RTÉ in 1983. This four-part series was about German spies in neutral Ireland during World War II, known in Ireland as " The Emergency". Production The series was written by ...

'', ''

Ballykissangel ''Ballykissangel'' is a BBC television drama created by Kieran Prendiville and set in Ireland, produced in-house by BBC Northern Ireland. The original story revolved around a young English Roman Catholic priest as he became part of a rural comm ...

'', ''

Far and Away ''Far and Away'' is a 1992 American epic Western romantic adventure drama film directed by Ron Howard from a screenplay by Bob Dolman and a story by Howard and Dolman. It stars Tom Cruise and Nicole Kidman. This was the last cinematography cr ...

'', and ''

Veronica Guerin Veronica Guerin (5 July 1958 – 26 June 1996) was an Irish crime reporter who was murdered by drug lords. Born in Dublin, she was an athlete in school and later played on the Irish national teams for both football and basketball. After stud ...

''. He was awarded honorary lifetime membership of the Irish Film and Television Academy (IFTA) in 2011 and the Freedom of Cork in 2015.

Early life

Tóibín was born in 1929 in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, the sixth of seven children, born to Siobhán (née Ní Shúileabháin) and Seán Tóibín, native

speakers. His parents married in 1917. His father was born in

Passage West Passage West (locally known as "Passage"; ) is a port town in County Cork, Ireland, situated on the west bank of Cork Harbour, some 10 km south-east of Cork city. The town has many services, amenities and social outlets. Passage West was ...

County Cork County Cork ( ga, Contae Chorcaí) is the largest and the southernmost county of Ireland, named after the city of Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the province of Munster and the Southern Region. Its largest market towns are ...

, and his parents came from

Waterford "Waterford remains the untaken city" , mapsize = 220px , pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe , pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe , pushpin_relief = 1 , coordinates ...

and

West Cork West Cork ( ga, Iarthar Chorcaí) is a tourist region and municipal district in County Cork, Ireland. As a municipal district, West Cork falls within the administrative area of Cork County Council, and includes the towns of Bantry, Castletownbe ...

. Seán Tóibín was a teacher in the School of Commerce in Cork city and the author of two books, ''Blátha an Bhóithrín'' and ''Troscán na mBánta'', on wayside and meadowland flowers, both written in the

Irish language Irish ( Standard Irish: ), also known as Gaelic, is a Goidelic language of the Insular Celtic branch of the Celtic language family, which is a part of the Indo-European language family. Irish is indigenous to the island of Ireland and was ...

. His mother, Siobhán Ni Shúilleabháin, came from

Beaufort, County Kerry Beaufort () is a small village that lies on the banks of the River Laune in County Kerry, in the southwest of Ireland. It consists of a post office, three public houses, one supermarket, parish hall, guest houses and thirty private houses. As of ...

. Niall was born on the southside of Cork city in Friars' Walk. He was raised with

and used the language in his professional career, notably in the film ''

Poitín Poitín (), anglicized as poteen () or potcheen, is a traditional Irish distilled beverage (40–90% ABV). Former common names for Poitín were "Irish moonshine" and "mountain dew". It was traditionally distilled in a small pot still and the ...

''. His siblings included Siobhán, Tomás (a poet), Déaglán, Filmin, Gobnait and Colm Tóibín. As a child, he sang in the cathedral choir and in the Opera House in Cork. In his teens, he joined a drama society attached to the Keating Branch of the

Gaelic League (; historically known in English as the Gaelic League) is a social and cultural organisation which promotes the Irish language in Ireland and worldwide. The organisation was founded in 1893 with Douglas Hyde as its first president, when it emer ...

. He was educated by the

Irish Christian Brothers The Congregation of Christian Brothers ( la, Congregatio Fratrum Christianorum; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Blessed Edmund Rice. Their first school was opened in Waterford, Ireland, ...

at the North Monastery (North Mon) after which he left Cork for a job in the Civil Service in

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in January 1947. In 1957, Tóibín married Frances Judith "Judy" Kenny (died 26 June 2002, aged 70) in

. He had five children, and seven grandchildren.

Career

Working originally as a civil service clerk with the

Department of External Affairs In many countries, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is the government department responsible for the state's diplomacy, bilateral, and multilateral relations affairs as well as for providing support for a country's citizens who are abroad. The entit ...

, Tóibín started acting in the 1950s and spent fourteen years with the

Radio Éireann Players The Radio Éireann Players (RÉP) were a repertory company for radio in Ireland, formed in 1947, which performed in regular drama productions for Irish broadcaster, Radio Éireann. After the depredations of the war-time years and a devastating fir ...

. From ''

'' and ''

'' in the 1970s, to ''

'', ''

,'' ''

'' and ''

'' in the 1980s, and ''

'', ''

'' and ''

'' in the 1990s and 2000s, Toibin's entertainment career in television, film and theatre spanned over four decades. He also acted for the radio, such as his guest appearance in the BBC Radio 4 series '' Baldi''. In 2005, he "cemented" his hands outside the

Gaiety Theatre, Dublin The Gaiety Theatre is a theatre on South King Street in Dublin, Ireland, off Grafton Street and close to St. Stephen's Green. It specialises in operatic and musical productions, with occasional dramatic shows. History In April 1871, the broth ...

. He made a speech saying, "It will be a proud day for me. My appearances on the Gaiety stage are without doubt the highlights of my career and I am honoured to have been asked to give my prints". He played Dr. Paul O'Callaghan in the first two series of the Irish TV programme '' The Clinic''. He played Judge Ballaugh, alongside

Cate Blanchett Catherine Elise Blanchett (; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor. Regarded as one of the finest performers of her generation, she is known for her versatile work across independent films, blockbusters, and the stage. She has received nu ...

, in

Jerry Bruckheimer Jerome Leon Bruckheimer (born September 21, 1943) is an American film and television Film producer, producer. He has been active in the genres of Action film, action, Drama film, drama, Fantasy film, fantasy, and Science fiction film, science fi ...

's film ''

''.

Awards

Dublin_Gaiety_Theatre_Handprint_Niall_Toibin

In 1973, Tóibín won a

Jacob's Award The Jacob's Awards were instituted in December 1962 as the first Irish television awards. Later, they were expanded to include radio. The awards were named after their sponsor, W. & R. Jacob & Co. Ltd., a biscuit manufacturer, and recipients ...

for his performance in the

RTÉ (RTÉ) (; Irish language, Irish for "Radio & Television of Ireland") is the Public broadcaster, national broadcaster of Republic of Ireland, Ireland headquartered in Dublin. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on RTÉ Television, telev ...

comedy series, ''If The Cap Fits''. On 29 October 2002, Tóibín won Best Actor at the Christian Film and Television Excellence awards ceremony in Dublin. Tóibín received an Honorary Doctor of Arts Degree from

University College Cork University College Cork – National University of Ireland, Cork (UCC) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile Corcaigh) is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of ...

(UCC) on 4 June 2010. He was honoured with the Irish Film and Television Academy's (IFTA) Lifetime Achievement Award at a ceremony at the

Irish Film Institute The Irish Film Institute (IFI; ), formerly the Irish Film Centre, is both an arthouse cinema and a national body that supports Irish film heritage. The IFI presents film festivals, retrospectives and curated seasons, along with independent, ...

on 3 November 2011. The award meant Tóibín became an honorary IFTA lifetime member.

Later life and death

In May 2015, Tóibín was awarded the Freedom of Cork in recognition of his film, television and stage work. Tóibín died in Dublin on 13 November 2019, eight days before his 90th birthday, having suffered from a form of dementia in the years before he died.

Filmography

References

External links

Official websitearchived
* {{DEFAULTSORT:Toibin, Niall 1929 births 2019 deaths 20th-century Irish comedians 21st-century Irish comedians Irish male film actors Irish male comedians Irish male soap opera actors Irish male stage actors Irish male television actors Jacob's Award winners Male actors from Cork (city) People educated at North Monastery People from Harold's Cross