James Macartney was born in Armagh and was educated there. He joined the United Irishmen, became a member of the Royal College of Surgeons, and was a surgeon in the Radnor Militia from 1803 to 1812. From 1813, when he became a Doctor of Medicine, to 1837 he was Professor of Anatomy at Trinity College, Dublin. He published many works on anatomy and was a Fellow of the Royal Society. He died in Dublin.