Quite a long time...
... since an update here, and I've got a bit to catch up on, so hopefully there will be some exciting new posts coming in the near future. But first, I'd like to share some interesting tidbits that have been sent along from my Dad up in Peekskill.
First, I received a great letter in the mail the other day with a map of Ireland attached and some photos photocopied over them pointing to significant spots in County Cork, where my ancestors on my Grandpa Murphy's side were from. I've made a Google Map of the same items and am linking to it below. Each of the three markers represents one of the photos my dad sent down, and if you click on them, there's some interesting info he included in the letter.
View Larger Map
Next, a bit of sad news. Guinan's pub/country store/deli officially closed this week. When I was a kid, my dad would take me up to Garrison on the Metro North Hudson Line, just for the ride. We'd get off the train, stop into Guinan's for a soda and a chat with Jim Guinan, then hop back on the next southbound train for the two-stop trip back to Peekskill. For an 8-year-old, it was a magical experience. Guinan's was the subject of a fantastic book called "Little Chapel on the River," which can be found at Amazon.com. Also, there's a great story about the final "official" Irish Night from the New York Times here. I got some photos e-mailed from the final final night of music at Guinan's, a decidedly quieter affair, from the looks of the photos. Some of those are below, courtesy of my Dad. 
