Duffys Circus - 1950 and onward

written by J.P. Browne

In the previous article on the Duffy’s Circus we reached up to the post war years and the death of John Duffy II in 1944. After his passing, the circus was taken over by John Duffy III and his brother James (Jimmy) ensuring the success of the Circus through the rest of the 1940’s. Just how popular was the Circus in Ireland back then? Richard McMinn states that in Ballymoney, Co. Antrim the “queues to see the John Duffy Circus was so large that an extra show had to be put even though the circus was due to move on at 5.00 a.m” (McMinn, 2012). Things continued smoothly that way until in 1956 when John Duffy III died suddenly at 55 at Duffy’s winter quarters in Dunmanway Co. Cork (Anglo-Celt November 10^th 1956).

John Duffy & Sons Circus programme 1954

With John Duffy III dead his inheritance went to his son John James Duffy. This partnership between nephew and uncle was more fractious. Richard McMinn in his history of the Duffy’s Circus puts it down to the age gap and also personality clashes. Regardless of the reasons why the partnership was not a happy one and after two seasons the circus split into two. So once again in 1959 there would be multiple Duffy’s Circuses on the road at the same time vying for people’s attention and trying to differentiate the names between the two Duffy Circuses. This split was especially painful for members of the wider family as they now had to choose which circus that they were going to join. Also, both sides had to outdo one another and had competition from Chipperfield’s Circus that had brought a massive show to Ireland in 1959. What made it even more unfair was that, due to a quirk of Irish law Chipperfields was taxed less than Irish shows meaning for the same show they were paying less tax and making more profit. The Connacht Tribune gives us a microcosm into this event:

Mr. D. C. TOFT asked at Thursday's meeting of Galway Corporation why Chipperfield Circus had been allowed the use of Fr. Griffin Road Park without the Corporation being informed. He had nothing against Chipperfields Circus but he wanted to know who had given permission to Chipperfields to use the Park. The acting Town Clerk, Mr. P. O'Grady, said that Chipperfields had phoned him and the Deputy County Manager had given permission to the Circus to use the Park. Mr. Toft said it was amazing that the Manager should have given permission without consulting the Corporation about Corporation property. This was a big issue with the Irish Showman's Guild. Chipperfields came in on a special permit. They only paid twenty-five per cent, of the tax paid by Irish showmen. They paid no income tax here or in England for their Irish tour and Chipperfields boasted of making £40,000 after last year's Irish tour. This was very unfair to Irish shows (my emphasis). The Showman's Guild, of which he was a member, had hoped that Galway would do something about this in Galway but the Corporation were never consulted, so that he was powerless to protest in the matter before this.

"A long time ago John Duffy and Sons asked to use this Park and they were turned down but a circus coming over from England can get it," he added.

Mr. O'Grady said that the last time Chipperfields had come to Galway they were requested to come by the Corporation. Did Mr. Toft not want them to come now?

Mr. Toft said that when Messrs. Duffy brought in a new tent recently they had to pay £400 duty on it. "It's completely unfair trading," he said.

Aid. F. Coogan, T.D., wondered if there was a change of policy in regard to Burke Park in future. To Mr. Toft, Mr. O'Grady said that Chipperfields were paying £10 a night for four nights for Burke Park.

Mr. Toft: So if Mr. Harry Toft offers £10 a night for Fr. Burke Park next year instead of the £750 he pays for The Square he will get it? I want the Town Clerk to find out when John Duffy was refused the use of the Park.

Mr. J. Cox said he was as good an Irishman as the next but he did not believe in being stupid about matters like this. The fact that Chipperfields were not paying income tax in Ireland or England was a matter for Government level and the question of complaints from the Showmen's Guild was something the Guild should put before the Corporation.

Aid. Coogan: If the English people were to object to all the Irish in England

Mr. Toft: That's different.

Mr. Cox said that the people of Galway liked circuses and Duffys was as welcome as Chipperfields.

Mr. Toft: About them being English, well I couldn't care less. It's the unfairness to the Irish shows.

Mayor: Well, let's get on with our own show.

- Connacht Tribune September 5^th 1959

Adding into that a serious fire on September 19^th at Lisdoonvarna destroyed a large amount of equipment hurting one of the shows. While the Connacht Tribune newspaper doesn’t mention which Duffy’s Circus the fire happened too it was probably Jimmy and Priscilla Duffy’s ‘National Circus’ which ended up closing in 1960. The fire that had taken place there had destroyed several pieces of equipment such as a jeep and a sleeping van and had caused over £1,300 in damages (Connacht Tribune, September 19^th 1959). Circuses back then had a notorious reputation for under paying for insurance so this fire could have been a devastating loss.

Duffy's National Circus Poster 1960

Unfortunately for John James Duffy his circus did not last much longer closing in 1961 (McMinn, 2012). With the death of premier advance man Major Fred Lewis in 1962 it looked like the end of an era of the Irish Circus.

Except that it wasn’t. In the previous article I had mentioned Duffy and McLean’s circus. James Duffy who ran that circus had apparently from time to time taken out circuses in Ireland. Usually though he was a performer and a highly sought after one as well performing in Dr. Hunter’s Christmas Circuses and performing for the likes of Harry Lynton and Fossett’s. During the war years James Duffy and his wife Lena had rejoined the family and had performed with John Duffy II during that time. Why he had given up Duffy and McLean’s Circus in the late 1920’s is a mystery but as he was the father of eight children maybe his wife and him felt running a tough business and raising eight children was too big a stress but by 1945 his children had grown up and were accomplished performers in their own right. Regardless of the reasons the James Duffy Circus was on the road starting in 1945 and had quietly run continuously over the years. James Duffy himself died in 1959 but the circus still kept going run by his widow Lena Duffy and as of 1962 they were the only Duffy’s Circus on the road.

 Lena Duffy died in 1971 at the age of 77 but her children kept the circus going until 1982 when it closed. All the Duffy brothers in due course also went their separate ways with one of the brothers Tom or Tommy as he was known founding his own Circus in 1979 calling it Tom Duffy and Son’s Circus. Currently the circus is being run by David Duffy and family and we hope them every success in the future.

A review from the Connacht Telegraph sums up best the ethos of the current show:

Duffy's Circus 

Have You Been Lately? 

Tom Duffy's Circus is receiving rave revues this year for its spectacular 1997 programme. Featuring the very best in circus entertainment. David Duffy, grandson of James Duffy and Lena Kayes, daughter of Buff Bill, is proud to present an action-packed performance that is leaving audiences spellbound…As the seventh generation of his family to entertain Irish families David Duffy is keenly aware of the competitive nature of the circus industry in Ireland today. He believes very strongly in presenting top-quality entertainment at an affordable price so that families can come to Duffy's Circus together and share an unforgettable two hours, just as families have been doing for so many years. Proud to be Irish and proud to be Duffy's, they invite everyone to come and share in the magic of the Big Top.

Connacht Telegraph April 16^th 199716/04/1997 page 23

Reference list

Anglo - Celt Newspaper (1956). John Duffy. Anglo - Celt Newspaper, 10 Nov., p.5.

Connacht Telegraph Newspaper (1997). Duffy’s Circus : Have You Been Lately? Connacht Telegraph Newspaper , 16 Apr., p.23.

Connacht Tribune Newspaper (1959a). Circus Fire. Connacht Tribune Newspaper, 19 Sep., p.8.

Connacht Tribune Newspaper (1959b). Duffys Circus. Connacht Tribune , 5 Sep., p.7.

McMinn, R. (2012). The Duffys & the Challenging World of the Circus in 19th and 20th Century Britain & Ireland. [online] Ulster Historical Foundation. Available at: https://ulsterhistoricalfoundation.com/shop/products/duffys [Accessed 28 May 2026].