Born in the townland of Curracreehan (possibly Currycreaghan), near Ballymahon, County Longford, Ireland, he was the fourth son of Thomas Dooley, a farmer, and his wife Elizabeth, née O'Connor [REF].
He arrived in Brisbane, Australia at the age of 8, where he attended a state school before commencing work as a draper's assistant at twelve and was later apprenticed to a tailor.