 He was sent to London at a very early age to learn the craft of sculpting from his maternal uncle John Lawlor, however, on his father's insistence, he returned from London to take up an apprenticeship in the family business.After his father's death in 1861, the Dublin properties were sold and the family moved to London.James returned to John Lawlor's studio where he worked for two years before departing to join the French Foreign Legion.