James McCormick was born in 1910 in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland. Raised in a politically active environment during a time of growing Irish nationalism, McCormick developed strong republican beliefs early in life. He later joined the Irish Republican Army (IRA) in Tullamore, County Offaly, and became committed to its goals of ending British rule in Northern Ireland and achieving full Irish independence.

Like many IRA volunteers of his era, McCormick was shaped by Ireland’s long and bloody struggle for sovereignty. He eventually became deeply involved in the IRA's overseas operations, particularly in Britain. In early 1939, McCormick volunteered for active duty in England as part of the IRA's S-Plan, a sabotage campaign targeting infrastructure and civilian areas in retaliation for British control over Irish territory.

Under the alias “James Richards,” McCormick was deployed to various English cities, including London and Birmingham, before being posted to Coventry in May 1939. The false identity allowed him to operate under the radar, and to this day, some government records and press reports still list him as “Richards” or sometimes even “McCormack.”

By August 1939, McCormick had risen to become Officer Commanding of the IRA unit in Coventry. During his leadership, the city experienced over a dozen acts of sabotage, including arson and bombing attacks. He was seen by his comrades as loyal, passionate, and fearless in pursuit of the republican cause.

On 25 August 1939, James McCormick played a central role in one of the most devastating IRA attacks in British history: the Coventry bombing. As part of the S-Plan sabotage campaign, McCormick and fellow IRA member Peter Barnes constructed a powerful explosive device which was planted in the Broadgate area of Coventry, one of the busiest shopping and transportation hubs in the city.

At approximately 2:30 p.m., the bomb exploded, killing five civilians and injuring over seventy others. The victims were caught completely off guard as the explosion ripped through the street. The dead included men and women who were simply going about their day. The public outcry in Britain was immediate and furious. The bombing effectively brought an end to the IRA's eight-month campaign of sabotage, which had already resulted in 10 deaths and nearly 100 injuries across the UK.

Although McCormick and Barnes admitted to building the bomb, they claimed they did not plant it. Another IRA member, Jobie Sullivan, later confessed to placing the bomb himself and insisted that McCormick and Barnes were innocent of the actual attack. Despite this confession, British authorities moved quickly to prosecute the two men.

On 11 December 1939, McCormick and Barnes stood trial in Birmingham. The trial lasted just three days. Although the defense attempted to distance the pair from the act of planting the bomb, both were found guilty of murder on 14 December 1939. Before sentencing, McCormick made a powerful and emotional statement, declaring his pride in dying as a soldier of the IRA and affirming his belief in the cause of Irish freedom.

The sentencing sparked a wave of IRA attacks on post offices and trains throughout England, including Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Crewe, and London. As McCormick’s execution approached, protests and clemency appeals intensified in both Ireland and Britain.

While imprisoned at Winson Green Prison in Birmingham, McCormick wrote a farewell letter to his sister Margaret in Mullingar. His words captured his unwavering dedication to the cause:

"This is my farewell letter, as I have been just told that I have to die in the morning. I knew that I would have to die, so the news did not come as a great shock to me, but thank God that I am prepared, as I know I am dying for a just cause. I shall walk out tomorrow morning smiling, as I shall be thinking of God and of the good men who went before me for the same cause."

On 7 February 1940, James McCormick and Peter Barnes were hanged simultaneously at Winson Green Prison. Their bodies were buried in the prison yard, side by side, as was standard practice at the time for executed inmates.