Duffy, Charles Gavan (1816-1903)

Irish journalist, writer, and politician. Born in County Monaghan, and educated in both Catholic and Presbyterian schools, Duffy became active in 19th-century Irish nationalist movements, and co-founded the weekly political journal The Nation in 1842 with the poet Thomas Davis and John Blake Dillon. He was arrested in 1848 for his involvement in the Young Ireland rising, and in 1850 founded the Tenant League for land reform. In 1852 he was elected to Westminster as MP for New Ross, supporting the Independent Irish Party until its split in 1853. He subsequently emigrated to Australia in 1855, and became prime minister of Victoria in 1871, and later speaker of the House of Assembly.

Duffy published throughout his life, including the poetry collections The Spirit of the Nation (1843) and The Ballad Poetry of Ireland (1845), historical analyses such as A Bird's Eye View of Irish History (1882), and his memoirs. He was knighted in 1873 and served as the first president of the Irish Literary Society in London in 1892.