James Duffy (Irish publisher) facts for kids

James Duffy (born in 1809, died on July 4, 1871) was an important Irish writer and publisher. His company became one of the main publishers of Irish nationalist books, Bibles, and religious texts. They also published many Irish stories. People said he created a "cosy family Catholicism" style of publishing.

Duffy's Publishing Journey

James Duffy was born in Monaghan, Ireland. He went to a "hedge school," which was an informal school often held outdoors. He started his business by buying Protestant Bibles given to Catholics. He then traveled to Liverpool to trade these for more valuable books.

In 1830, he started his own company, James Duffy and Sons. His first big success was publishing Boney's Oraculum, or Napoleon's Book of Fate. This book sold a huge number of copies! Later, this book was even mentioned in a famous play called Juno and the Paycock by Seán O'Casey.

Working with The Nation

Another big success came when James Duffy worked with Charles Gavan Duffy (who was not related to him). From 1843 to 1846, they published poems from the writers of The Nation, an important Irish newspaper.

By the 1860s, James Duffy's businesses in Dublin employed 120 people.

Duffy's Magazines

In 1860, he started Duffy's Hibernian Magazine. It was a monthly magazine edited by Martin Haverty. Many famous Irish writers contributed to it, including Charles Patrick Meehan, Julia Kavanagh, and William Carleton. All the articles were signed by their authors.

A second series of the magazine began in 1862. It was renamed Duffy's Hibernian Sixpence Magazine and was edited by Charles Patrick Meehan. This magazine ran for six volumes and ended in 1865. These affordable magazines helped new Irish writers share their stories and poems. They also showed a growing pride in Irish literature.

Here are some of the magazines James Duffy published:

• Duffy's Irish Catholic Magazine (1847)
• Catholic Guardian
• Christian Family Library
• Duffy's Hibernian Magazine
• Illustrated Dublin Journal
• Duffy's Fireside Magazine: A Monthly Miscellany (1850–1852)
• Duffy's Hibernian Sixpence Magazine (stopped in 1864)

Many people see Duffy's magazines as an early version of today's popular Irish magazine, Ireland's Own.

Books Published by Duffy

James Duffy also published many important books. These included:

• The Spirit of the Nation. Ballads and Songs by the Writers of The Nation, with Original and Ancient Music (1845)
• The Poetry of Ireland. Further collections from the writers of The Nation (1845-1846)
• The Ballad Poetry of Ireland
• The Book of Irish Ballads
• An 1861 edition of the Douay Bible, which is a Catholic translation of the Bible. A copy of this Bible is kept at the Central Catholic Library in Dublin.
• John O'Hart, Irish landed gentry: when Cromwell came to Ireland (1887)
• John O’Hanlon, Lives of the Irish Saints, Vol 6 (1891)
• Gerald Griffin The Invasion

Duffy's Publishing House

The main office for James Duffy's publishing company was at 7 Wellington Quay in Dublin. Later, it moved to 14 & 15 Wellington Quay. The company, known as James Duffy and Co. Ltd., was still in business even in the late 1900s.