Niall Tóibín (; 21 November 1929 – 13 November 2019) was an Irish comedian and actor. Born in

Cork "Cork" or "CORK" may refer to: Materials * Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product ** Stopper (plug), or "cork", a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container *** Wine cork an item to seal or reseal wine Places Ireland * ...

into an Irish 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 romantic drama film directed by David Lean and written by Robert Bolt. Loosely inspired by Gustave Flaubert's 1857 novel ''Madame Bovary'', the film stars Robert Mitchum and Sarah Miles as a married ...

'', ''

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

'', ''

Bracken Bracken (''Pteridium'') is a genus of large, coarse ferns in the family (biology), family Dennstaedtiaceae. Ferns (Pteridophyta) are vascular plants that undergo alternation of generations, having both large plants that produce spores and small ...

'', ''

The Ballroom of Romance ''The Ballroom of Romance'' is a British-Irish 1982 television film directed by Pat O'Connor based on a short story by William Trevor. It won the British Academy Television Award for Best Single Drama. Plot In County Leitrim in the 1950s, Bridi ...

'', '' The Irish R.M.'', ''

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". Episodes The spies are frequently d ...

'', ''

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 Turley (5 July 1959 – 26 June 1996) was an Irish investigative journalist focusing on organised crime in Ireland, who was murdered in a contract killing believed to have been ordered by a South Dublin-based drug cartel. Bor ...

''. 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 (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (officially Names of the Irish state, named Irelan ...

, the sixth of seven children, born to Siobhán (née Ní Shúileabháin) and Seán Tóibín, native Irish 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), Cork city. Passage West was designated a conservation area in the 2003 Co ...

County Cork County Cork () is the largest and the southernmost Counties of Ireland, county of Republic of Ireland, Ireland, named after the city of Cork (city), Cork, the state's second-largest city. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster ...

, and his parents came from

Waterford Waterford ( ) is a City status in Ireland, city in County Waterford in the South-East Region, Ireland, south-east of Ireland. It is located within the Provinces of Ireland, province of Munster. The city is situated at the head of Waterford H ...

and

West Cork West Cork () 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, Castletownbere, Clonakilty, Du ...

. 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 Irish Gaelic or simply Gaelic ( ), is a Celtic language of the Indo-European language family. It is a member of the Goidelic languages of the Insular Celtic sub branch of the family and is indigenous ...

. 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 o ...

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

. He was educated by the

Irish Christian Brothers The Congregation of Christian Brothers (; abbreviated CFC) is a worldwide religious community within the Catholic Church, founded by Edmund Ignatius Rice, Edmund Rice. Their first school opened in Waterford, Ireland in 1802. At the time of its ...

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

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

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, 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 Republic of Ireland, Ireland, formed in 1947, which performed in regular drama productions for Irish broadcaster, RTÉ Radio 1, Radio Éireann. After the depredations of the Th ...

. From ''

'' and ''

'' in the 1970s, to ''

'', '' The Irish R.M.,'' ''

'' 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 Élise Blanchett ( ; born 14 May 1969) is an Australian actor and producer. Regarded as one of the best performers of her generation, she is recognised for Cate Blanchett on screen and stage, her versatile work across stage and scre ...

, in

Joel Schumacher Joel T. Schumacher (; August 29, 1939 – June 22, 2020) was an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Raised in New York City by his mother, Schumacher graduated from Parsons School of Design and originally became a fashion designe ...

'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 (; ; RTÉThe É in RTÉ is pronounced as an English E () and not an Irish É ()) is an Irish public service broadcaster. It both produces and broadcasts programmes on television, radio and online. The radio service began on 1 January 1926, ...

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) () is a constituent university of the National University of Ireland, and located in Cork (city), Cork. The university was founded in 1845 as one of three Queen's Universit ...

(UCC) on 4 June 2010. He was honoured with the Irish Film and Television Academy's (IFTA)

Lifetime Achievement Award Lifetime achievement awards are awarded by various organizations, to recognize contributions over the whole of a career, rather than or in addition to single contributions. Such awards, and organizations presenting them, include: A * A.C. ...

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, I ...

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 website
() * {{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