Author: Hardy, Philip Dixon
Biography:
HARDY, Philip Dixon (1794-1875: DIB)
Details about his early life are scarce, but he was likely born in Dublin of Protestant parents. By the mid 1820s, he had established himself as a printer with premises in Cecilia Street (Temple Bar) and was living on St. Stephen’s Green, Dublin. He later moved his business to larger premises on Sackville Street. In about 1826 he married Marianne Hall; of their children, two of his sons later went into partnership with him. He published periodicals and in 1831-33 he edited the National Magazine before taking over as owner, printer, and editor of the Dublin Penny Journal. His tenure proved controversial because some readers and contributors felt that in his hands an important national periodical became conservative and pedestrian. In 1836 he gave up the magazine (possibly for reasons of ill-health) but he continued printing and publishing and operated at Philip Dixon Hardy and Son. Aside from religious writings, his own later works include Legends, Tales and Stories of Ireland (1837). He retired in 1860 and died at his home at 2 Frankfort Place in Rathmines, Dublin, on 1 Jan. 1875. (DIB 4 May 2020; Irish Builder and Engineer 15 Jan. 1875) SR