Ode to the Irish and Frank McCourt

The famed author, Frank McCourt passed away yesterday. Apparently, he had been sick for a little while, but still taught a memoir writing class at a university in New York. McCourt is most famous for writing a memoir titled, Angela's Ashes, which is based on his childhood of growing up in Limerick, Ireland in abject poverty. I read this book in high school and have forgotten many details about the book. But, having just come back from a trip to Ireland, I am very interested in returning to this novel. The book became a bestseller and won a Pulitzer Prize in the 1990s. McCourt did not write about his childhood until he was in his sixties. At first, he didn't think about writing about his past because he was ashamed and angry. McCourt said in an interview that he had to let go of his angry before he could write the story.

McCourt is also known for writing a later novel, Teacher Man. Although not prize worthy, I really appreciated reading this book especially after my first couple of years teaching. The book is a memoir about McCourt's early career in teaching high school English in the public schools of New York City. I could relate very easily to some of McCourt's woes and troubles: the book is full of anecdotes and stories with no real solution in the end, which oddly made me feel better about myself as a teacher.

In regards to our trip to Ireland, I decided to read a fiction book written by another Irish writer. The writer is William Trevor and the book is called The Story of Lucy Gault. I enjoyed reading this book while in Ireland because I could set the scene so easily. Despite not going to Cork, I could easily imagine Lucy Gault's house by the cliffs because we visited many incredible cliffs while in Ireland. The story is of a girl who gets left behind by her parents. She isn't able to let go of her guilt because she feels as if she is responsible for all the grief and sadness that happens to her family. Ireland is a tiny country with so much history, flavor, and culture. The picture above was taken on our trip around the Dingle Peninsula, which is the west coast of Ireland. Ireland is a great place to visit and the Irish are great writers, storytellers, and folk singers. The "gift of the gab" is certainly in use in this country.