My maternal grandmother Kate Whalen and I were very close. As a child, I would go to Jersey City to stay with her for two or three weeks during the summer. As I got older, she was as much a friend as a grandmother. Over the years, I learned bits and pieces of the story of her early years and wanted to know more. Many years later, I realized that my interest meant dredging up … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Who Was My Grandmother Kate?
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Photo Album: The Old Irish of Burlington, Vermont
My family never celebrated St. Patrick’s Day at our house. When I got older and realized how Irish I was, I asked my mother why. She said she did not approve of all the drinking and she wanted her children to identify with their English background. Also, my father’s Protestant relatives from Boston were very prejudiced against Irish Catholics; they had a false sense of … [Read more...] about Photo Album: The Old Irish of Burlington, Vermont
Photo Album: Rosamond Mary Moore Carew at 106
Happy Birthday, Mema. Rosamond Mary Moore Carew turns 106 March 15. ℘℘℘ Rosamond Mary Moore Carew, my mother, known to her family as “Mema,” may just be the oldest living Irish American. She was born in Brooklyn, New York to John Francis “Frank” Moore and Anna Regina Brady on March 15, 1911. Both of Rosamond’s parents were proud of their Irish heritage. Her paternal … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Rosamond Mary Moore Carew at 106
Photo Album: Rebel Irish Girl
Nora Brosnan’s role in the fight for Irish independence is remembered by her granddaughter. Hanora “Nora” Brosnan was born on September 17, 1905, the youngest of 10 children, to Mary Flynn Brosnan and John Brosnan, in Castlegregory, County Kerry. Nora’s father was a farmer and the owner and operator of a successful local forge. The Brosnan home was a comfortable place with a … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Rebel Irish Girl
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Cops & Nurses: A Love Story
So many cops are married to nurses,” the great novelist and screenwriter Richard Price once observed. “It’s just the way it is. You know, mom’s a nurse, dad’s a cop.... That’s where they’re going to meet their spouses – following up a homicide, following up an aggravated assault. And you go to the same hospital maybe three times a week for a couple of months, you … [Read more...] about Photo Album:
Cops & Nurses: A Love Story