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Jim Bruce, or James Patrick as he was christened, was born in south inner-city Dublin, Ireland.
He spent the greater part of his adult life in banking. At first he carried out the typical duties of a junior official in a city centre branch, cashing cheques, taking in lodgments, keeping customer accounts up to date, that sort of thing. Then later, he moved into a new area where he learnt the techniques of marketing and market research. Finally he ended up in a small unit that measured satisfaction among the bank's customers and staff.
In 1997 Jim left the bank and set up Customers For Life Ltd. As an independent consultant he supported those who wished to bring the voice of the customer to the forefront of their organisations, but were not quite sure how to go about it.
In 2005 Jim decided to combine his research skills with his love of writing. He spent the next two years working on a biography of Brian Cleeve, the author and broadcaster who was also a mentor and friend.
Researching the book meant long hours in libraries and archives. This aroused in Jim a desire for more of the same. So in 2008 he enrolled as a history student in Trinity College Dublin. Four years later he left with a BA and moved to University College Dublin where he completed an MA in the history of Religion and Society. In 2019 he was awarded an MLitt by the University of Oxford for his thesis on the 19th-century nationalist thinker, James Fintan Lalor.
Jim now lives not far from the Dublin/Wicklow border .