Complex sentence: Born to Irish immigrants John McCloskey and Elizabeth Hassan in Brooklyn, he attended Mount St. Mary's University (then Mount St. Mary's College) in Emmitsburg, Maryland: his schooling was interrupted by an accident that resulted in temporary blindness.
Split into simpler sentences: Born to Irish immigrants John McCloskey and Elizabeth Hassan in Brooklyn, John McCloskey attended Mount St. Mary's University (then Mount St. Mary's College) in Emmitsburg, Maryland. His schooling was interrupted by an accident that resulted in temporary blindness.