Cormac McCarthy

Birth Name: Charles Joseph McCarthy, Jr.

Date of Birth: July 20, 1933

Place of Birth: Providence, Rhode Island, U.S.

Date of Death: June 13, 2023

Place of Death: Santa Fe, New Mexico, U.S.

Ethnicity: Irish

Cormac McCarthy was an American author. He authored twelve novels, The Orchard Keeper, Outer Dark, Child of God, Suttree, Blood Meridian or The Evening Redness in the West, All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, Cities of the Plain, No Country for Old Men, The Road, The Passenger, and Stella Maris; two plays, The Stonemason and Sunset Limited; five screenplays, The Gardener’s Son, The Sunset Limited, and The Counselor; and three short stories, spanning the Western, postapocalyptic, and southern gothic genres. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest American novelists.

Cormac was the son of Christina Gladys and Charles Joseph McCarthy, a lawyer. He was from an Irish Catholic family. He was raised in Knoxville, Tennessee, where his father worked for the Tennessee Valley Authority. Cormac had a son with his former wife Lee Holleman; and a son with his former wife Jennifer Winkley.

Cormac’s paternal grandfather was John Francis McCarthy (the son of Richard McCarty and Mary Downes). John was born in Blackstone, Worcester, Massachusetts, to Irish parents. Richard was the son of Dennis McCarthy and Elizabeth.

Cormac’s paternal grandmother was Mary Elizabeth Quinn (the daughter of Bernard Francis Quinn and Catherine Theresa Shields). Mary Elizabeth was born in Providence, Rhode Island, to Irish parents. Bernard was the son of Patrick Quinn and Margaret. Catherine was the daughter of David Shields and Isabella Smith.

Cormac’s maternal grandfather was William Henry McGrail (the son of John Henry McGrail and Mary J. Dolan). William was born in Smithfield, Providence, Rhode Island, to Irish parents. John was the son of Catherine. Mary was the daughter of Francis Dolan and Margaret McNiff.

Cormac’s maternal grandmother was Ellen Helena/Lena O’Keefe (the daughter of James O’Keefe/Keeffe and Catherine Kate Walsh). Ellen was born in Ballintemple, County Cork, Ireland, to parents from Cloyne, Cork. James was the son of James Keeffe and Mary Veale. Catherine was the daughter of Maurice Walsh and Ellen Hoare.

Source: Genealogy of Cormac McCarthy – https://www.familysearch.org