Showband star’s inner strength in face of debilitating disease

The daughter of a former showband singer from Skyrne who was diagnosed with motor neurone disease has launched an online campaign to raise vital funds for a charity that supports families affected by the debilitating condition. Yvonne Tobin’s father, Jim (74), had a glittering showbiz career in the golden showband era of the late ‘60s and ‘70s.

‘Gentleman Jim’ which he is often referred to started his career with The Firehouse in 1969, after joining a local band called The Craftsmen. He spent the next 12 years with them at the top of the country and Irish field of music. Later, Jim Tobin and The Firehouse became a household name after reaching number one with their first record, a Jim Reeves song, ‘This is it’.

The Skyrne man was diagnosed with MND last year having had a hunch that the disease was the cause of his recent decline in health, as daughter Yvonne explains,
Both daddy’s aunt and cousin had motor neurone disease and he had a feeling that he had it. He was referred to the Mater Private for tests and later to neurology professor, Orla Hardiman, in Beaumont in November 2017.”

Jim received an official diagnosis in April last year and Yvonne says that although it was a blow, her dad has been determined to stay positive,

 

Jim performing as Jim Tobin and The Firehouse in the 1970s

“It was the worst news you could get but it was confirmation on what he already knew inside, he had a feeling all along. There is no cure for MND, all they can do is treat it to make you comfortable.

“I remember the two of us coming down in the lift in the Beaumont, I just looked looked at him and to steal a line from a movie I said ‘we have two options we can either get busy living or get busy dying,’ he just laughed and said I suppose that’s all we can do. We laugh rather than cry here, he has a great sense of humour and is very witty, that’s what keeps us going.”

“Daddy is very calm and rational. His attitude is that he has had 74 healthy years, he has seen his children and grandchildren rared and now he has a great-grandchild five-month-old Ella May. His brother died at 38 and his father was 52, his rationale is that at least he has reached 74. He could teach people a thing or two about the glass being half full. He takes the good from every situation.”

It has been hard for the family to see such an active man like dad and granddad Jim deteriorate, according to the devoted daughter.

 

Skyrne man Jim on his wedding day to late wife Caroline,

“It is such a cruel disease. His voice was the first thing to go. He could talk but he couldn’t sing, that was the toughest part, knowing that you’d never hear him sing again. It is just heart-breaking because he was always such a big strong man, he was never sick in his life. He was the one that would stay up all night when we were sick and look after you. He always checked under the bed for the boogie man,” she laughs, adding,

“If he came in from work, you’d hear him coming in and he’d check under the bed before he’d leave. When I was about 11 or 12, I was scalded and had very bad burns on my feet and I remember for two nights he sat at the end of my bed and he fanned my feet, then I’d nod off. He is such a kind and generous man. To see this happening to him is so cruel because he spent his life helping people.”

It has been a challenging few years for the Tobin family with Jim’s wife of 45 years, Caroline passing away suddenly at 62 in 2015, and Yvonne’s husband also tragically passing away last year at the untimely age of 47, leaving behind their two children.

“Mammy passed away four years ago and daddy misses her terribly. In a weird sense that probably helped him come to terms with this and it was easier for him to accept it thinking that he was going to see her sooner than he thought. We’ve had a tough couple of years. Jim is like another dad to his grandkids, Avril’s son Jamie (28) and my own children, Cheyenne (23) and Daniel (15), it has been very hard on them.”

 

Yvonne with father Jim Tobin who had a glittering showband career in the 1970s

As a young man, Jim worked a day job driving his father’s truck transporting sand and gravel before embarking on a full-time professional career in the 1970s. He retired from the music business in 1980 and returned to his first love of truck driving when his showband days ended, however, he still continued to sing, performing at many charity events across the country up until his diagnosis.

Yvonne says that growing up with a famous dad wasn’t something she or sister Avril thought to be unusual as music had been the centre of the family’s life for as long as she can remember.

“Music is everything to him, we grew up in a house full of music. Music was life. It didn’t seem unusual for us to walk into a room and have Big Tom there in the living room, it was normal.”

Yvonne is keen to highlight the importance of fundraising for the Irish Motor Neurone Association.

“There are 375 people with this disease in Ireland and there are three people diagnosed every week and three people pass away from it every week.

“The IMNDA and the research carried out by Professor Orla Hardiman is funded mainly from fundraising, 84 per cent of their budget approximately is raised due to the kindness and generosity of the public. There are only four nurses that cover the entire country. The IMNDA has been an invaluable support to Daddy and us all. The HSE and palliative care team in Kells have also been wonderful to us.”

To donate look for ‘Yvonne’s birthday fundraiser for the Irish Motor Neurone Association’ on Facebook.