Seventy Six Years a Showman

The following is the memoir written by former circus proprietor John Duffy of Duffy's Circus. The title says 'John Duffy The Irish Barnum' but in the printing I have of it the title is "76 Years a Showman" so I am sticking with it as I have seen this title cited by circus historians such as the late great Richard McMinn and Patrick Houlihan. This was supposedly a memoir written for advertising purposes but you would also imagine for himself so he would have something for prosperity like John Moriarty. Regardless it is one of the important circus owners in Ireland in the 20th Century talking about his life in his own words. Please note that some of the dates he remembers have being proven to be misremembered as is normal with human memory. Regardless we hope you enjoy it.

Also if you would like to know more about Duffy's Circus Tony McCarthy of John McCarthy's Circus Bar website is having an exhibition on Duffy's Circus which is running for the next few weeks. Please see the poster below for details.

JOHN DUFFY THE IRISH BARNUM

THE BIGGEST NAME EVER IN IRISH CIRCUS ORGANISATION is that of JOHN DUFFY, born in a caravan at OVA, near Cambridge on October 1, 1875.  There were seven in the family — three boys and four girls, named John, James and Thomas; Phillis, Lizzie, Caroline and Margaret.  I was the eldest of the family, and when I was born my parents who were circus artistes, were out of work and had no money.  When I came to town one of the artistes Sam Poluski managed to scrape up sixpence and he walked five miles to Cambridge to buy a feeding bottle for me. Sam Poluski and his brother Will (who were apprentices of my grandfather) in later years turned out to be two of London’s greatest comedians, and commanded a big salary.  My father was a first-class performer, and played all the big circuses of Europe and America.  He was a wonderful tumbler, posterer and balancer, always featuring the balancing of eleven half pint glasses on his forehead, whilst passing his body through hoops. This I have never seen any other artiste do with such ease, grace and skill since or before.  My mother (Annie Silvester) was also a first-class performer and was known in the circus profession as a first-class contortionist.  My grandfather was known to be the funniest and cleverest tumbling clown that ever entered any circus ring.  His smart acrobatics on short stilts were the envy of all other clowns, and he was so funny and so clever, that when he came to Ireland (before I was born) with Bourne and Maces’ Circus the best of the clowns were so jealous of him that they all sent in a protest to the management stating if Jack Silvester remained on the show they would all leave.  The proprietors however gave a deaf ear to this by stating to all concerned that they would not discharge Jack Silvester.  My grandfather told the proprietors that he would go as he could find work where they could not.  After touring Ireland eight weeks he decided to pack up his traps and go.  It was shortly after this that my father got married.  I was the first child born and was very delicate indeed.  I was only one month in my mothers care, when I was passed over to my grandmother Mrs. John Silvester.  This dear old soul had a terrible time with me and spent many sleepless nights watching me.

When I grew up my grandmother told me that at one period I was in a trance for one week and the doctors could no nothing for me.  Each doctor she took me to, told her to take the child home and let him die happy, but the old lady said “He is not going to die.”  Very often she told me that all the food I had for one week was the moistening of my lips with brandy by a feather, so evidently my dear old grandmother was somewhat cleverer than the doctors.

My grand parents reared me until I was seven years of age.  I was then quite a healthy and burly little boy.  The day came when my father and mother came and took me away.  I never knew my parents as father and mother:  I used to call my mother Annie and my father Jack: but when I came home this practice soon changed, as with my grandparents there was no check on me.

My grand parents were very kind to me, and the parting came as a heavy blow to my dear old granny.  My dear mother did all in her power to console me, but it was useless. She took me to town and bought me new clothes.  It was all a waste of time. I sorely wanted to be back with my grandmother. This in the town of Windsor, on a very large fair ground where there must have been at least 200 caravans, mother, father and I went to bed but I, for one, did not go to sleep and about 2 o’clock in the morning when everyone on the fair ground was fast asleep I gathered my belongings and made off through that sea of caravans, and found my grandmother the one I loved so dear. At 8 o’clock next morning my mother came for me, and I remember her having a great laugh.

After that, my grand parents and my parents went travelling in different directions. I did not see my grand parents again until I was about thirteen years of age.  My mother was a very clever circus artiste and was not long in teaching me the business. At the age of ten, I made my first appearance as a performer with my talented father artiste, at Manley’s Circus on a piece of ground near the Elephant and Castle, London.  Our joint salaries was to the amount of 35/- weekly and we lived in our caravan at Hackney Wick, on the Marshes — what a fight we used to have to get our last bus home, there used to be hundreds of people waiting and rushing for the last bus. My father was no small man and he used to pick me up in his arms and push me in first and he was always sure to get a seat for us both. This was in the depth of winter 1886.

When the Spring of 1887 arrived, we arranged with Campbell and Kaley’s Circus for a seasons tour at a salary of £3 per weeks (which was considered very good at that time).  We left the Campbell and Kaley Circus in July 1887 — and went to the Channel Islands (Jersey and Guernsey).

My father and his friend Johnny Turner who was also a good performer started what is known in the circus profession as “Pitching” and they could hold a crowd for two hours, whilst they were pitching.  I was performing in what was known as “Free and Easy” and we all three did very well having been there for 6 weeks.

My father and myself had saved the large sum of £260.  We then returned to Hackney Wick where my father made what was known as a tumbling show and between the two of us we could do five or six acts, and my sister Phyllis learned to dance the tight rope and my two younger brothers Thomas and James to take part in acrobatics. We travelled around the fairs of England, Scotland and Wales and did very fine business.  My father was a great rambler never stopping too long in one place or country; he was a lover of strange faces. In the year of 1891 and I was at the age of 16 my father decided to come to Ireland, to the land of his parents birth, as both his father and mother belong to Domnick Street, Dublin. My grandfather Patrick James Duffy, boot and shoe maker by trade, and my great grandfather were born in Dublin (in the year 1797).  My grandfather married a lady called Bridget Galy from the same locality.  Shortly after their marriage they went with a circus and it was not long before they were in England among the front rank performers.  My father and his brother Christopher always held first-class “top of the Bill” engagements at all the leading Music Halls in the British Isles as contortionists.  My father’s sister Maggie was recognised as the best lady high stilt performer in England.  Coming back to our arrival in Ireland in the year 1891 with our small show consisting of our own family, we did pretty well.  When I was about 23 years of age in the year of 1898 we returned to Scotland where we toured all the principal towns for four years.  I got married to my dear wife (whose maiden name was Mary Ellen White) in Edinburgh, in 1901 her people being amusement caterers, shortly after our marriage my father decided again to come to Ireland with our Circus where father was very popular and well liked by the Irish people in every town he visited.

The touring season of 1902 was fairly successful with our small circus, although we had a large measure of opposition such as Poole and Boscos’ International Circus, Lloyd’s Mexican Circus, Hanneford’s Canadian Circus and Davis Paragon Circus.  Of course having light expenses we came out on top and we pulled into Belfast at the conclusion of the tour for the winter season in a place called Millfield, where we kept our circus open all the winter giving performances every evening and matinees on Saturdays.  After the winter circus season we were able to purchase two new living carriages, a beautiful new circus and horse tents.  By this time we were getting as big and as famous as any of our competitors, who at one time tried to chase us off the road but failed at each attempt — when we started from Belfast our advance agent got as far as Cavan town, where he happened to meet a very clever and well known advance agent from an other show, who frightened our man to such an extent that he left the horse and van in Cavan town and went home leaving without a moments notice, and in the thick of opposition.  Soon on the alert we quickly found another advance agent who didn’t know the county too well but my father knew every town, village and cross roads of Ireland, instructed him and soon we were merrily sailing along with full speed ahead.  This was in 1903 and during the tour we visited Coalisland in County Tyrone where a row took place between a local rowdy, and alleged pugilist and my brother-in-law, Arthur Wilson.  Arthur gave him the best hammering he ever got.  Mill hands coming from their work without even waiting to hear the details started booing and shouting that we would not get out of the town with our lives and threatened to wreck the show.

Police were soon on the scene and fully prepared to meet any enemy.  When we opened that night we had about 30 horses tied up inside the tent near the entrance, part of our programme that season happened to be a big spectacle entitled the Bear and Sentry and we had plenty of swords, bayonets, rifles and “Props”.  My father gave everyone orders to stand by and if we saw the “roughs” advancing we were to defend ourselves and charging on horseback and on foot we had to claim whatever we could and follow up.  We only had about 50 patrons as an audience, but we got orders to carry on with the show.

The mob started to pelt the caravans with stones, bricks and chimney pots from the Pottery close by, where they had plenty of ammunition.  Assuming the jokes had gone far enough the order to charge was given and 20 of us, claimed horses “and we did charge,” and the conflict carried on from 8.30 in the evening until 10.30 that night when the parish priest came amongst the crowd and forced them to stop “the dirty work.”  We had no performance that evening and the police remained all night with us on the grounds and believe me dear readers the trouble was no fault of the circus folk.  When we arrived in Cookstown the next morning, the top line on the contents bill of the local newspapers read

THE BATTLE OF COALISLAND

Gallant Circus Cavalry Charge

One reporter went as far as to say that the circus folk deserve the “V.C.” to stand up against such a mob, so you see what the circus folk have to put up with at times through no fault of their own.  There was one thing we cherished with pride, we had the sympathy and support of the general public in every town we visited afterwards and we travelled the rest of the country for the rest of the season in peace.  At the end of the tour we made Belfast our headquarters where we joined the great Christmas fair held annually on the Chapel Fields for one week, where we performed as often as 24 times a day.  This was considered very hard work for a circus company of artistes.  After the Christmas carnival we all set to work as carpenters and painters under my fathers command, building what is known as a portable theatre, 100 feet long and 40 feet wide, well seated and illuminated and capable of holding 1000 persons.  We had by this time a very talented dramatic company of actors and actresses with our own family as well playing small parts, and I, John Duffy as the principal comedian.  I made a big success with the Belfast public.  We ran the show for four or five months and managed to get over the winter nicely.

In the month of March 1904 we packed the theatre away to prepare the circus for the summer tour we were now able to engage and pay larger salaries to better artistes, and bigger sets for our circus than in previous years.  We had a very comfortable tour with the circus in the 1904 season having very few mishaps.  Rollo the King of the High Rope was top of the bill and leading attraction on a very attractive programme of several first class acts.  At the end of the 1904 tour we returned to Belfast where we opened our portable theatre in Dee Street off the Newtownards Road and enjoyed a most successful winters business there.  When the Spring of 1905 arrived, like all the circus folk, the call of the open road claimed us once more.  Nothing apart from the ordinary happened in 1905 and in the winter season we took our portable theatre from Belfast to Newtownards, in the street County Down, where we had a big successful run of three winters the people of Ards of all denominations holding us in very high esteem.  Each succeeding Spring we closed our theatre and took to the roads with our circus.  Back to the theatre for the winter season we removed from Newtownards to Drogheda, playing Drogheda for the winter season, then off again for the summer season of 1909.  This was our most sorrowful season having the misfortune to lose our dear father who passed away in the Cottage Hospital at Drogheda on October 4, 1909.  It was a sad blow to all our family.  A good father to all of us, he was highly respected by all who knew him wherever he went.  So ended this forlorn year of 1909.  With this sad loss, from the year of 1909 to the year of 1913 my mother ran the show and all the family stuck to her like glue.  Our dear mother passed away at Newtownards on the 17th July, 1913 and we brought the remains to Drogheda to be along side our father, and so came the end of another sad season.   

In the summer season of 1914 all the family decided to take out the circus on tour and call it the Duffy Family Circus, and toured it in this way for three seasons, at the end of the third season it was decided to dissolve partnership and the summer of 1917 saw three circuses made out of one, i.e. Duffy and McLean, Wilson and Duffy, and John Duffy and Sons called “the Irish Barnum” and it has been known as such ever since.   

In 1916 I engaged an advance agent know as Fred Lewis the highest paid front man in the business.  At one time our greatest road enemy, he became a life long friend.  I rightly styled him the “Napoleon of the Irish Roads” he has served me for 27 years as my agent general.  The John Duffy and Sons 1917 season presented a very “strong” programme and the running expenses high, so by the time the season terminated and we returned home, the profits were small although we were very proud of one thing that was, we had left a good name behind us, which has stood to us ever since.  Since 1917 we have annually engaged and toured the cream of the circus profession, including the Stith Riffi troup of Arabs.  Also Japanese, Panzers Midgets, Flying Reos, Bouncing Windors, Olsen’s Sea Lions, The Cromwells Gymnasts, Toyo Ando Japanese Family, La Velma, world’s greatest thought reader, Samson world’s strongest man, The Great Hillards, Kaye’s Lions and many more big acts too numerous to mention.  The year of 1935 was another sad year for me and my family — in the passing of my dear wife at Dungannon, Co. Tyrone, on August 12th where the people of Dungannon and all Ireland sympathised with us in our great loss, the people of the town said the funeral cortege was the largest they had ever seen there, and those at the graveside included Joseph Steward, M.P. for Armagh, Mr. Beatty, Town Clerk and many business people of all denominations from the Six Counties were represented as well as show people from the four corners of Ireland.  My two sons John and James are very hard workers, and I owe a large amount of my success to their labours.  My grandchildren, John, James, Annie, Lily and May Marion are all very clever artistes so you see were are able to conduct this huge circus on sound business principles and in a first class manner and make it a big happy family for one and all.  Now dear readers, I think I will draw my story to a close.

WISHING YOU EVERY SUCCESS IN LIFE, COUPLED WITH HEALTH, WEALTH AND HAPPINESS, AND MAY LONG LIVE THE CIRCUS TO ENTERTAIN YOU ONE AND ALL, IS THE SINCERE WISH OF THE FATHER OF THE ROADS AND DOYEN OF THE CIRCUS — JOHN DUFFY THE IRISH BARNUM.