Born John Thomas McKiernan in New York City, McKiernan was raised on a farm near Cold Spring, New York. Inspired by his parents' love of their homeland, McKiernan went to Ireland to study Irish culture as a young boy.
John Thomas McKiernan, born in New York City and raised on a farm near Cold Spring, New York, developed an interest in his parents' native Ireland. As a child, he explored the country's cultural heritage by studying Irish culture.