Early Life and Life on Tory Island James Dixon enters the world on June 2, 1887, on Tory Island, a rugged outcrop off the west coast of Ireland. He is one of six children. Life on the island dictates the rhythm of his existence, a landscape of rocky cliffs and Atlantic swells. For decades, his hands are occupied by the physical demands of the land and sea. He works as a crofter, a farmer, and a sailor. He spends his days as a fisherma…