Those Places Thursday: Pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick

Benita (McGinnis) McCormick           (1889 – 1984)   Though in her later years my great-aunt Detty, Benita (McGinnis) McCormick, often reminisced about her trip to France and Ireland in 1913, I don’t recall her talking about her pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick (Gaelic for Saint Patrick’s Mountain and pronounced Crōk Patrick). Luckily, these photographs from her scrapbook show … Continue reading "Those Places Thursday: Pilgrimage to Croagh Patrick"

Mystery Monday: Is this Lizzie Gaffney?

Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie” Gaffney           (1884 – 1960) Benita (McGinnis) McCormick           (1889 – 1984) “My cousin poses,” Benita wrote under this photograph, taken in western Ireland in 1913.  Could this be Mary Elizabeth “Lizzie”  Gaffney? Compared with the photo below, there seems to be a strong  resemblance, but it is hard to say for sure.   … Continue reading "Mystery Monday: Is this Lizzie Gaffney?"

The Day JFK Was Shot

I was a third grader at Saint Philip Neri Elementary Schoolin Chicago, Illinois, when the principal’s voice came over the public address system, announcing that President John F. Kennedy had been shot in Dallas.  She asked all the classes to stop what they were doing and join in prayer for our president.  It was just … Continue reading "The Day JFK Was Shot"