Malachy's Ashes Quotes

1. When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I survived at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.
. . . nothing can compare with the Irish version: the poverty; the shiftless loquacious alcoholic father; the pious defeated mother moaning by the fire; pompous priests; bullying schoolmasters; the English and the terrible things they did to us for eight hundred long years.
This passage introduces McCourt’s memoir. It is one of the only times in the narrative that we hear the adult McCourt expressing a strong, clear opinion. From this point on, the narration
Throughout the novel, Frank struggles to reconcile his love for Malachy with his anger at the way Malachy’s drinking nearly destroys the family. As this passage shows, Frank has an enormous amount of respect and love for his father, and he cherishes the time they spend together. At the same time, however, Frank realizes that his respect for his father might offend his mother. When Malachy has been drinking, the rest of the children refuse to talk to their father. McCourt reveals here that Malachy’s drinking causes not only hunger and monetary ruin for the family, it forces the children to choose between their mother and
They die within several months of one another, shortly after the McCourts arrive in Limerick. Their deaths devastate Angela, who is already grieving over the loss of her baby girl, Margaret.
Michael McCourt - Frank’s second youngest brother, born in Limerick, whom Frank believes was left by an angel on the seventh step of their house.

Alphie McCourt - Frank’s youngest brother.
Aunt Aggie - Angela’s sister and Frank’s miserly aunt. Aunt Aggie initially resents the McCourt children. Although she never ceases to be rude and unpleasant, she proves her loyalty to the family by helping them through tough times.
Pa Keating - Frank’s warm and caring uncle. Pa Keating bolsters Frank’s confidence and encourages him to follow his own instincts in adulthood.
Ab Sheehan - Angela’s brother and Frank’s uncle. Uncle Ab was dropped on his head as a child, which damaged his brain. Frank moves in with Ab when he fights with his mother and Laman Griffin.
Grandma - Grandma helps the McCourts whenever she can, although she remains suspicious of Malachy Sr.’s northern Irish roots and insists that Frank has inherited his father’s “odd