Bearers of the Duffy name are heirs to a legacy in which the colourful myth and magic of the Celtic past fuses with Christian belief.
Their ancestry is illustrious, from an ancient High King to one of Ireland’s three patron saints.
Read here of the high romance and drama that is the history of the Duffys.
NAME variations include: Ó Dubthaigh (Gaelic), O’ Duffy, Dowey, Duffie, Duffey, Doohey.
Duffy Clan Mini-Book Excerpt
Born in 1871 in Cobourg, Ontario, Francis P. Duffy later immigrated over the border to the Unites States to settle in New York City, where he was ordained a priest in 1896.
By the time of the outbreak of the First World War in 1914 Father Duffy had already gained a reputation as a selfless and tireless worker among his parishioners in the Bronx.
But it was as a military chaplain with the 69th New York Regiment, later known as the 165th U.S. Infantry Regiment, but better known as the ‘Fighting 69th’, that he gained even wider repute.
Serving with the regiment on the battlefields of the Western Front, Father Duffy’s contribution to the morale of the regiment was so great that at one time he was seriously considered for the post of regimental commander.
Frequently accompanying stretcher-bearers onto the carnage of the battlefield, his dedication and bravery was recognised with a host of awards and decorations – including the Distinguished Service Cross, The Conspicuous
Service Cross (New York State), the Croix de Guerre, and the French Legion d’ Honneur.
Following the end of the conflict he worked as a pastor of Holy Cross Church in the Hell’s Kitchen area of New York City, near Times Square.
An area of Times Square known as Duffy Square, and containing a statue of him, was named in his honour. He died in 1932, while his war experiences were fictionalised in the movie The Fighting 69th.
