Tuohy, James Mark (1857–1923), journalist, was born in Cork city, younger son of Patrick Tuohy, manager of the Cork Examiner, and Mary Anne Tuohy (née Donoghue). Educated privately, he joined the Freeman's Journal – by the 1880s, the semi-official organ of the Irish parliamentary party – and was appointed its London correspondent (1881). This post, which he held till 1912, was at least as important as that of editor because it gave easy access to the party's leaders and also because much of the paper's foreign news was filtered through its London office. Tuohy's reporting came to be regarded as authoritative. His most notable achievement was covering – with five other Freeman journalists, working under his direction – the Irish party's protracted debate in Committee Room 15 in December 1890 on the question of Parnell's continued leadership. No other journalists were allowed to attend, so the Freeman's reports are the only first-hand contemporary record. Despite complaints by T. M. Healy (qv), MP, it is generally accepted that the reports were accurate and objective.
Though eschewing any direct involvement in politics, Tuohy was close to C. S. Parnell (qv) – so much so that he was widely believed to be responsible for disseminating the spurious story that, if reelected as party leader for the new parliamentary session in November 1890, Parnell would then retire voluntarily, on account of the O'Shea divorce case. That story helped secure Parnell's unanimous reelection, but Tuohy was probably not the source of it. On the contrary, he had written in the Freeman – citing ‘direct authority’ – that Parnell had no intention of retiring (18 November 1890). His relationship with Parnell was again highlighted when he was included in the group of trusted associates who accompanied Parnell to Boulogne in December 1890 for a meeting with William O'Brien (qv), MP, that failed to resolve the ‘split’. Tuohy, however, remained with the Freeman after it switched to the anti-Parnell side in September 1891 and later when it merged with the Healyite National Press (March 1892). W. H. Brayden (qv), who became editor in 1892, had earlier worked under Tuohy in London. Brayden's eventual successor as editor, Patrick J. Hooper (qv), was Tuohy's assistant 1897–1912 and succeeded him as London correspondent in 1912. The Freeman was by then in financial difficulty, and Tuohy resigned just before the Irish party leadership moved to oust the paper's long-time chairman, Thomas Sexton (qv).
In his early days in London, Tuohy combined his Freeman work with serving as secretary to Baron Ferdinand Rothschild (1839–98), art connoisseur and MP. Rothschild bequeathed a considerable sum of money to Tuohy, who afterwards lived in some style in Kensington. From 1889 onwards, Tuohy took on the further role of London correspondent of the New York World. He became its European manager in 1897, and continued in that capacity till shortly before his death in London (7 September 1923). He controlled a vast network of correspondents throughout Europe on behalf of the World, and was the confidant of its editor and proprietor, Joseph Pulitzer (1847–1911). Among the tasks he handled for Pulitzer was the recruitment of secretary-companions: Pulitzer liked to have British secretaries and Tuohy, doubtless drawing on his experience with Rothschild, would vet the candidates.
Tuohy married (1884) Florence Donovan (1858–1943), daughter of Jerome Donovan, a Cork city merchant, and Jane Donovan (neé Brady). They had two sons and two daughters. A small collection of letters to Tuohy is held in the NLI.