Joseph Holloway was born in Dublin, Ireland on 21 [or 22] March 1861. He was articled to John Joseph O'Callaghan (c.1838-1905) in Dublin and remained with him as his assistant until 1896. He also attended Dublin Metropolitan School of Art. In 1896 Holloway set up his own independent architectural practice at 21 Northumberland Road, Dublin. His career as an architect was relatively short-lived and he appears to have designed little if anything after 1914. Notable among his projects was the remodelling of the Mechanics' Hall in Dublin as the Abbey Theatre in 1904. Other projects included alteration of a building at 49 Dame Street Dublin into offices for the Hibernian Fire & General Assurance Co. (1908); alterations and additions to The Russell Hotel at 102-104 St. Stephen's Street, Dublin (1908); and repairs and additions to Farfarnham, Grange Road, St. Edna's, Dublin (1911).
Holloway was elected a Member of the Royal Institute of the Architects of Ireland (MRIAI) in 1889. He was also a member of the Architectural Association of Ireland from its inception in 1896 and its President in 1906-07.
Holloway was a man of independent means and following World War One appears to have abandoned architecture in pursuit of other interests which included the arts and the theatre. He wrote extensively on the modern Irish theatre, and was the author of A Guide to Books on Ireland (1912). He died in Dublin on 13 March 1944
Directory of British Architects 1834-1914. Compiled by Antonia Brodie, et al. Volume 1: A-K. London; New York: British Architectural Library, Royal Institute of British Architects/Continuum, 2001