James MacCaffrey STL, PhD^[1] (c. 1875 – 1 November 1935) was an Irish Catholic priest, theologian, and historian.

Biography

MacCaffrey was born in 1875, at Fivemiletown, County Tyrone, the son of Francis MacCaffrey of Alderwood, Clogher, County Tyrone. He was educated at St. Macartan's Seminary, Monaghan, before going to St. Patrick's College, Maynooth, and was ordained there in 1899.

He was awarded a Doctorate by the University of Freiburg. At Maynooth, he went on to serve as Professor of Ecclesiastical History from 1901, vice-president (1915–1918), and president of the college from 1918 until 1935.^[2]

A noted historian, MacCaffrey edited the early editions of the Historical Journal published in Maynooth Archivium Hibernicum.^[3] He served on the editorial board of the Irish Theological Quarterly. MacCaffrey was also Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the National University of Ireland^[4] He died on 1 November 1935, while still president of Maynooth.

Publications

• "Louis Veuillot," The Irish Ecclesiastical Record 16 (1904); Part II, Part III, The Irish Ecclesiastical Record 17 (1905)
• The Black Book of Limerick (1906)
• History of the Catholic Church in the Nineteenth-century (1909)
• History of the Catholic Church: From the Renaissance to the French Revolution (1915)