My grandmother Nora MacNamara (née Hickey) turned 100 on June 15, 2014. From her retirement home on the Dingle peninsula, County Kerry – snuggled in the foothills of the Slieve Mish mountains and overlooking the clear blue Atlantic ocean – family and friends gathered to celebrate the centenary of a woman known to her grandchildren as simply ‘Granny Mac.’
What was the secret to … [Read more...] about Photo Album:
Granny Mac’s Centenary
Photo Album
Photo Album:
Photo Album: Bits and Pieces
In the 1960s my mother inherited a ring that had been passed down through two generations. When she began wearing the ring, just before falling asleep or upon waking, she heard the sounds of murmuring voices, clinking glasses, and muffled laughter as if there were a party going on in another part of the house. Then, a man’s insistent voice calling out, “Rose! Rose!” A few weeks … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Bits and Pieces
John Callahan: An Orphan Boy Who Was Fond of Horses
John J. Callahan was one of fifteen boys who arrived in Philippi, West Virginia, on an Orphan Train. It was on June 24, 1903. He was taken by C.K. Switzer, owner of a flour mill in Mansfield, now an addition of Philippi. After living with the Switzers for a time, John let it be known that he was fond of horses and wanted to live on a farm. My grandfather, Ai Cleavenger, had a … [Read more...] about John Callahan: An Orphan Boy Who Was Fond of Horses
Photo Album: Bridget’s Shawl
Submitted by Robert F. Lyons of Kennebunkport, Maine
February / March 2014
February / March 2014
Bridget O’Donnell of Cork, Ireland, my great-grandmother, was sent out to Boston by her father in 1846. A recent discovery of her photograph in the Lyons family bible reignites interest in her story and our origins. Bridget was 14 years old, soon to be 15, when her father took her to Cobh, expecting to book passage for her to America. He gave her for the journey a silver … [Read more...] about Photo Album: Bridget’s Shawl
Family Photo Album: The Perfect Mother
In Memoriam Delia Kennedy Shea SEPTEMBER 19, 1924 – SEPTEMBER 5, 2013 My mother, Delia Kennedy, was born on September 19, 1924, in Kilfillig, Mountbellew – a small village of six houses, 30 miles from Galway City. She had three brothers and two sisters whom she stayed in touch with throughout her life. Her parents were known as kind and gentle people who were strong and … [Read more...] about Family Photo Album: The Perfect Mother