• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
Irish America

Irish America

Irish America

  • HOME
  • WHO WE ARE
    • ABOUT US
    • OUR CONTRIBUTORS
  • IN THIS ISSUE
  • HALL OF FAME
  • THE LISTS
    • BUSINESS 100
    • HALL OF FAME
    • HEALTH AND LIFE SCIENCES 50
    • WALL STREET 50
  • LIBRARY
  • TRAVEL
  • EVENTS

Photo Album: Reaching For The Sky

Submitted by Terri Connolly Cook
February / March 2003

February 1, 2003 by Leave a Comment

Who could guess the financial disaster brewing in New York City, 1929, when my father, Mick Connolly gathered a few friends on his tenement roof to capture the joy of a baptismal celebration several floors below. The third of his seven children, Mary Elizabeth, was being feted with a large gathering at East 97th Street and Lexington Avenue in Manhattan after a May ceremony held at St. Francis de Sales Church, which even today still cares for the community at 135 East 96th Street.

The rooftop, as well as providing a pleasant backdrop for snaps to send back home, was an ideal place to escape the grime of crowded city streets. This photo fittingly characterizes the Co. Monaghan group who had come to the United States only three years before. Surely these lads would win a prize if clothes maketh the man? Double-breasted suits, waistcoats, stiff collars and silk ties represent their new-found success in America. My fabulous flapper-aunt, Annie McNally Brennan holds on to her beau, Frank whom she would soon marry and share her life with for 46 years. She carded this photo with her until the day she died on December 27, 1999.

Only the sky is the limit, this roof-top photo seems to say. The closeness and support they would give each other all their lives and the gracious welcome they would bestow on other immigrants from home, is reflected in the group’s posture. The next day they would change back into laborers’ pants and chambray shirts but not before a good time was had by all. And although they could only celebrate on a roof-top, we their descendants, continue to follow their example and never stop reaching for the sky.  ♦

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Highlights

News
Articles and stories from Irish America.....
MORE

Hibernia
News from Ireland and happenings in Irish America.....
MORE

Those We Lost
Remembering some of the great Irish Americans who have passed.....
MORE

Slainte!
Discover Irish ancestry, predilections, and recipes.....
MORE

Photo Album
Irish America readers share the stories of their ancestors....
MORE

More Articles

  • Chicken Today, Feathers Tomorrow

    Chicken Today, Feathers Tomorrow

    Chicken today, feathers tomorrow. That’s how my mother described life with my father, James McQuilan...
  • Dorothea Lange's Ireland

    Dorothea Lange's Ireland

    When photographer Dorothea Lange, best known for her haunting series of images from the Depression e...
  • Roots: The O'Briens

    Roots: The O'Briens

    The O'Briens are one of the great Gaelic families of Ireland, and were the rulers of the ancient kin...
  • President Trump Proclaims Irish Heritage Month

    President Trump Proclaims Irish Heritage Month

    The President calls on Irish Americans to celebrate their "contributions to our Nation," adding,"Iri...

Footer

Follow Us

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

Subscribe

  • Subscribe
  • Give a Gift
  • Newsletter

Additional

  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Terms of Use & Privacy Policy

Copyright © 2025 · IrishAmerica Child Theme on Genesis Framework · WordPress · Log in