Sad news. My first thoughts are with his family and loved ones, who have had to go through this time, and have to adjust to the loss. This is a loss to Ireland and to the wider Irish diaspora and particularly to those many who were touched by his writing. For those people his memory however lives on through his books.Originally Posted by odie1kanobe
As an aside, the RTE website still has nothing on this, not even a placeholder, hours on. I know it's the early morning now, but in the past much bigger stories have similarly been ignored, until presumably the morning crew roll into Montrose.
Maybe I'm just spoiled by the BBC News website, amongst numerous others!
Rest in peace Frank.
The master says it's a glorious thing to die for the Faith and Dad says it's a glorious thing to die for Ireland and I wonder if there's anyone in the world who would like us to live. My brothers are dead and my sister is dead and I wonder if they died for Ireland or the Faith. Dad says they were too young to die for anything. Mam says it was disease and starvation and him never having a job. Dad says, ''Och, Angela'', puts on his cap and goes for a long walk.
Angela's Ashes was a good insight into the lives of the poor in Ireland of the time.
RIP Frank.
A profile here:
BBC NEWS | Americas | McCourt - woe became literary gold
Sad, but he did live to a fairly ripe old age. It's nice to see someone achieve so much at an age when most are rapidly winding down or have more or less given up on life completely.
My wife bought a copy of his Seitsemannen portaan enkeli, literally "The Angel on the Seventh Step", as Angela's Ashes was called in Finnish translation, and I read it.
A masterpiece, but the one thing about it that bothered me was his failure to express any thanks to the Saint Vincent de Paul Society; instead, he portrays them as mean-spirited people who grudgingly gave far less than the family expected.
Even a hardened old atheist like me is able to appreciate the Vinnies and respect them for practising what so many other Catholics only preach, and always having to manage on slim resources.
_. P .., .S.
. .:............. ....
....:.................._ ....,
............ .............., .:..
....... . . _:........ :..
_...... . .<........ ....
,...... ....... ..._.
_..... ..:...) .....
:.... ..:.... .....
.... _:..... .....
...... .....U..._.
..... _:..... (
O..... ......
:... ) .......
....._ . ...E:..),
.:.... ).... . _.....
..... ,...... .:....
) ..... ...:.._ .....
....... ..:..... ...+,
. :...... )..:...,. ....
.:....... ..+......., _:...
............?. .............. .....
. .......:............,. :...
. :..............) ...
.. I. .. ,D.
_. P .., .S.
. .:............. ....
....:.................._ ....,
............ .............., .:..
....... . . _:........ :..
_...... . .<........ ....
,...... ....... ..._.
_..... ..:...) .....
:.... ..:.... .....
.... _:..... .....
...... .....U..._.
..... _:..... (
O..... ......
:... ) .......
....._ . ...E:..),
.:.... ).... . _.....
..... ,...... .:....
) ..... ...:.._ .....
....... ..:..... ...+,
. :...... )..:...,. ....
.:....... ..+......., _:...
............?. .............. .....
. .......:............,. :...
. :..............) ...
.. I. .. ,D.
I met him once, in Sydney of all places. I was walking down Circular Quay to a ferry and he was out for a walk with his wife Ellen. Moving smoothly out of character I walked up to them. They were happy to chat so we talked about his book-signing visit to Australia and about the hassle he was getting from some quarters in Limerick. Fine man. RIP.
I thought his book Angels Ashes was very moving. No one else has captured the heartsick desolation of the times quite so well. RIP Frank.
3Likes