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James Duhig was born on 2nd September 1871 at Kilila near Broadford, Limerick, Ireland, one of seven children. On the death of his father, John Duhig, the family moved to Middlesbrough, Yorkshire, England and then back to Ireland where they were evicted from their holding. They emigrated to Australia.
After attending St Joseph's College, Gregory Terrace, working for a while and returning to Terrace, he enrolled in the Irish College, Rome in 1891 and studied for the priesthood at the Urban University of Propaganda Fide.
He was consecrated Bishop of Rockhampton in St Joseph’s Cathedral on 10th December 1905 by the then Coadjutor of Sydney, Archbishop Michael Kelly (who as Rector of the Irish College, Rome, had received the young James Duhig as a student fourteen years earlier) and by friends Bishop James Murray of Cairns and Bishop Patrick Vincent Dwyer of Maitland.
Only seven of James Duhig’s nearly sixty years as a bishop were spent as Bishop of Rockhampton, but the Rockhampton Diocese became his first love. As Bishop of Rockhampton, James Duhig travelled by boat, train, coach and horseback (he was a good horseman) throughout the vast diocese.
Bishop Duhig became Coadjutor Archbishop of Brisbane on 26th February 1912 and succeeded Archbishop Robert Dunne as Archbishop of Brisbane in 1917. During his nearly fifty year term he was involved in a massive building programme (400 major buildings), received many honours (a knighthood in 1959) and earned a reputation as an educationist, book-lover and patron of the arts.
When he died at ninety-three on 10th April 1965 as Archbishop of Brisbane, he was hailed as a great Australian.
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