In the photograph, my grandfather, Patrick McNamara, stands at the center.  My Aunt Ellen, who was the local schoolteacher, stands at right.  On the left are two neighbors, whose last name was Conroy.

The young girl in the photograph holds an interesting place in my family’s history, and she is responsible for me being able to share this photograph.

Her name was Bridget Murphy, and she was always called “Brid.”  She was born in Maghera, and when she was only a few years old her mother passed away.  Brid was then raised by my Aunt Ellen and my uncle, Michael Broderick.  Brid was never formally adopted by the Brodericks, and she kept the last name Murphy, but she lived with my aunt, uncle, and grandfather as a member of the family. 

When Brid grew up she moved to England, where she became a nurse.  She married an American serviceman she met in England, and they moved to the United States.

While visiting in Maghera I heard about Brid Murphy and her place in my aunt's family, and I naturally asked what had become of her.  Nora Dinan responded by providing me with Brid's address and married name, and I got in touch with her.  We had a wonderful conversation on the telephone, and she later looked at this web site on her son’s computer.

Her son graciously took the time to scan some old photographs his mother has had since childhood.  He sent them to me via e-mail, so what you are seeing above is a photograph taken in Maghera that has come into my possession electronically.

An amusing story behind the photograph is that Brid recalls that my grandfather was known for pruning the tree in the center of the photograph into unusual shapes.  And she pointed out that if you look carefully you can see the ladder he would use while pruning is leaning up against the tree.