James Godkin

James Godkin was born in Gorey County in Wexford. In 1834 he was ordained pastor of a dissenting congregation in Armagh. He joined the Irish Evangelical Society, and in 1836 he published "A Guide from the Church of Rome to the Church of Christ". He continued to write, and, after winning a prize for an essay on federalism in 1845, he left the Irish Evangelical Society and became a journalist. In 1847 he moved to London, and wrote for various journals and magazines. In 1849 he returned to Ireland and became editor of The Derry Standard, and later The Daily Express in Dublin. During this time he was also the Dublin correspondent for The London Times.

In 1869, Godkin travelled throughout Ulster and southern Ireland on behalf of The Irish Times to discuss land ownership with farmers and the working classes. The following year, he published book on the topic called The Land War in Ireland.