Author: Hiffernan, Paul
Biography:
HIFFERNAN, Paul (c.1719-77: ODNB)
He was likely born in Co. Dublin but nothing is known about his family. Hiffernan was notoriously secretive—he would never let anyone know where he lived—and no records of his birth have been located. His family was Roman Catholic and he was educated at a Dublin seminary and in France where he earned a MB from the University of Montpelier. He spent some time in Paris before returning to Dublin in about 1747. Although he was known as “the Doctor,” he did not practice medicine but instead attempted to establish himself as a writer. He published a periodical, The Tickler (1747-48), which was a vehicle targeting the Dublin politician, Charles Lucas. In 1753 he moved to London where he published The Tuner (1754), a periodical that reviewed plays. He wrote several farces only one of which, The Maiden Whim (1756; published in 1759 as The Lady’s Choice), was a success. His dramatic poem, The Wishes of a Free People (1761), and Dramatic Genius are his best-regarded works. When Samuel Reddish located material for The Heroine of the Cave among the papers of the deceased Henry Jones (q.v.), Hiffernan revised the manuscript for production. Although he counted David Garrick and Samuel Foote among his friends, Hiffernan was regarded as an impecunious, abusive, and often vulgar drunkard who lived off the generosity of others. He died on 12 June 1777 at his lodgings in St. Martin in the Fields; there was an inquest but he was found to have died a natural death. The coroner's report notes that he was known in the lodgings as "Mr. Winterman." (ODNB 12 Mar. 2021; DIB 12 Mar. 2021; “Memoirs of Dr. Paul Hiffernan,” Walker’s Hibernian Magazine [May 1794] 297-301, 416-23; ancestry.co.uk 4 Feb. 2025) SR