title: James Downey (journalist)
text: # James Downey (journalist)
  
  James Downey was an Irish journalist and author.
  
  Born in Dromahair, County Leitrim, he began his newspaper career in the early 1950s when his father secured him a job with the Sligo Champion newspaper, mostly proof-reading the Donegal electoral register, which the Champion published.
  
  He moved to the Irish Times newspaper after a spell in London, and advanced to the position of deputy editor. He currently writes a weekly opinion article for the Irish Independent newspaper.
  
  He was regarded as one of Ireland's leading political commentators and journalists, and published his autobiography in 2009, In My Own Time: Inside Irish Politics and Society. He died in Dublin in April 2016.
  
  