There's quite a bit of tea being poured here. The fact that Malachy lost his mother's ashes isn't the problem, as far as I'm concerned. The real issue, to me, is that he cremated his mother to save a buck on shipping, regardless of her known wishes to *not* be cremated for religious reasons. I have a real problem with a person who would go against the death wishes of his own mother, who believed being cremated would lock her in purgatory forever, having no body to rise in Christ with. That's shameful and he's a poor, poor man indeed to do a thing like that to his own mother.
How on earth do you even presume to know the wishes of this woman? Also, Richard Harris was a great actor, but for the life of me I don't understand why he felt the need to jump into the business of another family who has nothing to do with him.
@@matthewgabbard6415 At the time of her death, cremation was still very taboo within the Catholic religion because you needed your body to be whole in order to rise in Christ, according to Catholic beliefs. They didn't like autopsies either for the same reason. I believe many Catholics today still believe this. According to Richard Harris, in an interview presented by this channel, she made statements and plans with the family, her children, that she did not want to be cremated; she wanted to be buried.
For sure, that's as clear as day, oddly Harris appeared to almost envy McCourts success and storyline, his was less attractive just like his persona, an actor doesn't come close to being a writer, and Harris tried to make himself both and failed. He was a snob with and occasional Irish accent when he thought it might have millage.,
My dad was a close friend of Malachy. They shared an apartment for a couple years in the 50’s where they played rugby for the NYRFC. They stayed in touch over the years and had a reunion of sorts in 2020, two yrs before my dad passed. The stories they shared would make one blush. One of Malachy’s early jobs when he first came to NY was to sell Bibles door to door. Let’s just say he was better at helping housewives sin than he was at selling bibles. As a friend, Malachy was always there for my dad. Thats how I will remember Malachy.
@@nodgelyobo1 Harris, a great Irish actor, you must be very yound! Lucky you. Anybody over the age of 40 Knows who Richard Harris was! Some cracking movies when they still made cracking movies!
I don't have a dog in this fight, never having so much as visited Limerick. But I'm leery of the way Harris cast himself the main character in the McCourt family drama -- claiming to have been the sole confidant to the dying, mistreated Angela. My suspicion is that all three combatants were shrewd, talented, drama queens, so it feels a little unfair for Harris to begrudge the McCourts their modest, late-in-life success after enjoying so much success of his own.
You raise some interesting points about the dynamics within the McCourt family. It’s always fascinating to see how narratives can be shaped by different perspectives.
Spot on observation, Mother McCourt might well have talked to Harris but it unlikely at that stage in her life to have thought he a confessor who would blurt what she might have said to make him appear a better man, he was an actor nothing more and violent drunk of some notoriety.
I have my doubts about this video. Having listened to the 'original' Harris interview, the one played here is too 'clean''; Harris's voice was far raspier and quite different in presentation and inflection. In the original interview he was recovering from a very bad cold which came through in the recording. He also swore freely, there was no 'effing', he used the 'f' word freely and in full. Also note that the majority of images presented here are AI generated, with no acknowledgement of that contrivance.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It's always interesting to hear different perspectives, especially when it comes to variations in audio quality and presentation. Yes we did use AI but the quotes are 100% authentic but I made a judgement call to use AI voices based on available voiceclips. I think hearing the words on some clip rather than reading them myself was less boring. Some think I was right and some think I was wrong but my aim was to make it as interesting as possible.
I think it's simple enough I'm 66 grew up in west Cork... it's simply Protestant against Catholic, in my day only Protestants played rugby,it been a hand me down from England,and Catholics played GAA, not that I'm proud of any of them,but that's how it was, if Mc Court played rugby, it's because, like a lot of his peers, he was trying to leave his poverty past behind him,and trying to delute the poverty stigma,that still persists in Ireland...... Harris actually sound's like the now,nevorich in Ireland, pretending none of it really happened!... we're all too awoke for that history...!
You raise some important points about the historical context and how sports were intertwined with cultural identities. It's fascinating to see how these dynamics have evolved over the years!
I totally agree with Frank Mc Court definitely the worst childhood was a poor, Irish, Catholic one horrendous, the book actually lightens the poverty with fun aspects Harris is jealous because he hasn’t Mc Courts genius in writing
Well, you obviously never read anything about the horrendous English, Protestant childhoods of the industrialised city slums and mining villages of Britain. And if you think McCourt is some genius in writing it tells me you wouldn't know quality literature. At least Harris is a good actor in many films. McCourt wrote a book of fiction and pawned it off as reality. His second book didn't do well at all. I guess you can only con people once.
@@peterdoyle1591 Fair play to ya Peter, You contradict yourself in your own statement.. So it was common in that time, let it be slums of Limerick, New York or Englands industrial slums for extreme poverty to be a common thing,, so that part is not fiction and not pawned off as reality, as you pointed out it was quite common.. throughout the industrial world and beyond.. I would say McCourt was a genius in the way he could tell the story in such depths to represent the experience of many many people of that day and make a small fortune along the way by doing so.. I would put that down to American b/s that he picked up from living in New York..I bet you could not tell a story as well at that.. let alone make a few bucks from it... U know, he's done something right when Harris is all hot and bothered about it..and typical of the Irish neighbors always begrudging the other regardless of circumstance.. One mans fiction is another mans reality..
@@vesperaraven105 Where is the contradiction? She stated "I totally agree with Frank Mc Court. Definitely the WORSE childhood was a poor, Irish, Catholic one. Horrendous". I disagreed with her statement because it is a blanket statement on ALL poor, Irish Catholic childhoods. The statement is just untrue/fiction and not reality. McCourt can write about his own perception. You can have your own fiction/perception. But you can't impose/present that perception on ANY large group of people. Which he/she did.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It's important to recognize the different backgrounds that shape each individual’s experiences and contributions to the arts.
The book portrayed the mother and father having money to drink and smoke but expected others to feed and clothe their children. That's not the fault of the State or the city of Limerick. No one will ever doubt Richard Harris abilities as an actor on the world stage. Trying to diminish him only diminishes the McCourt brothers.
You raise some valid points about the complexities of their family dynamics. It's interesting how different perspectives can shape our understanding of their stories.
It's interesting to hear your perspective as an Irish person. McCourt's storytelling certainly sparked a lot of discussions about authenticity in memoirs!
There was another brother Mike. He bartended in San Francisco. I met him once as mutual friends knew him. I worked in the bar where he worked in his heyday. We visited him in a joint where he worked the lunch shift. I was pissed as a newt as we had been on a bender since the night before. But I had kind of drunk myself sober. He was well used to drunks of course. Seemed a nice Guy. Was asking me if I knew of his teacher in Limerick. He must have been in his 60's or 70's. I was in my early 30's. He was the non-famous one. Though he was well known in San Francisco due to his bartending antics. A celebrity Bartender. When such things still existed. Men famous for a larger than life personality rather than whether they could make a good martini or not.
The reality of Limerick probably lies somewhere in the middle. McCourt depicted his very own Limerick, with his prejudice and his own hardship. It would be unfair to read that book and expect an impartial depiction of that town.
There is a reason that limerick people dont think much of McCourt always played the victim in anything he done and always comes across so bitter anything to save a few pound what they done to their mother was disgraceful
The poverty portrayed in Angela's Ashes was typical of countless Irish childhoods of that era. My own mother had a similar upbringing of Dickensian poverty, in Dundalk, Ireland. Dr Noel Browne, the great Irish politician and most unselfish and honourable Government minister that Ireland has ever had, describes the destruction that poverty wrought on his childhod days, in his wonderful autobiography, Against The Tide. Though saying all that, I would agree with Harris' belief that the film version of Angela's Ashes is a miserable load of shite and in no way does justice to a magnificent book.
Harris was wrong.. came from a privileged family .. Mc Court from a poverty stricken family like thousands of other families even some today ..yes today. A pity about Richard Harris’s opinion… nothing to do with the City of Limerick at all.
You make an important point about the different backgrounds that shape individual perspectives. It's crucial to recognize the diversity of experiences, especially in discussions about privilege and hardship.
I completely understand where you’re coming from. Angela's Ashes certainly captures a specific narrative, but there’s so much more to our story as a culture.
Frank mccourt portrays his own grandmother(his mothers mother) as a deeply prejudiced woman who hated mcourts father. My father walked out of the movie. After 20 mins.
My late dad emigrated to the usa in 1952. He returned to Ireland in 1959 and finished off is medical studies in the usa between 1966 and 1969. My late mother gave him the book. Dad and I saw that infamous late late show interview between Harris old friend and Frank mccourt and that's when my father explained to me about richard Harris family wealth. My grandfather worked in the flour mill company which operated in westmeath. My fathers parents met in the cooperative movement in westmeath.
Thank you for sharing your family's incredible story! It's fascinating to hear about your dad's journey and the connections to Richard Harris and Westmeath.
All the money my fathers mom and dad saved up went on thier children's education. And also hard work was instilled into his three older siblings. By the time they died they were in 80s and 90s. And were very well educated but they worked hard. They were interested in politics due to 1921 and all that. And my grand uncle who was involved in all of that
while idont know much harris, mcourt i have been aware of since he wrote angelas ashes,i was brought up on a farm in clare near limerick city also had relatives there, it seems to me mcourts description of limerick is more realistic than harris if my recall is correct as this was in the fifties i left in 58 getting got the train in limerick to to dublin to london ,all ican say having only seen clips from the moviei it did look familar to me perhaps the rain was i bit much but it never stops raining and blowing in clare and limeriick to suggest limerick citywas anything but a grim bleak shithole in those days and not the beloved paradise harris would have you believe ofc live was comfortable for the anglo irish who left as soon as possible rather suffacing from boredom and misery, ithink the mcourts deserve a medal for surviving this wretched shithole and prospering, iconsider harris a pretentios ,vicious bitter snob with an axe to grind the little i know of him or if he even exists these days
It's fascinating to hear your perspective on McCourt and Harris. The contrast in their depictions of Limerick really highlights how personal experiences can shape our views of a place. Thank you for sharing your memories!
I watched the movie "Angela's Ashes", but haven't gotten around to reading the book. I found the movie rather depressing, but chalked it up to its graphic realism with respect to the tragedy and poverty of working class life in Ireland. As to Harris, he was an outstanding actor and certainly entitled to his opinion. One of his greatest films was the grueling and bloody "This Sporting Life". I admit to being surprised when Harris was cast to play "Cromwell". Again, an excellent film, but obviously biased "history" that ignores Cromwell's brutality and ethnic cleansing in occupied Ireland. I don't know how to put all this together. We're all familiar with the savage censorship and "criticism" unleashed by Joyce's "Ulysses", with it's cast of provocative characters like Molly Bloom. I'm sure most devout Catholics recoiled in horror from Joyce's memories of life in Catholic boarding school; in his "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"; trembling and shivering in bed as he contemplated the horrors of Hell. Did anyone go after Joyce for the "exaggerations" of his autobiographical references? McCourt's mistake was to publish his book as memoir rather than as FICTION. With "fiction", you can get away with anything. Even libel, as long as you change the names. So is Harris basically tearing apart "Angela's Ashes" as a poor and dishonest representation of life in Limerick during the 1950s? Or is he criticizing it as "bad fiction"?
You've raised some fascinating points! The intersection of history and personal narrative in these works can be quite complex, especially when it comes to how they're portrayed in film versus literature. It's interesting to consider how personal experiences shape these stories and the reactions they provoke.
Hmmm. I love Richard Harris as an actor. But Richard Harris came from a wealthy family whose wealth didn’t diminish until he was an adult with a lucrative career. He knows nothing about the struggles of the poor. Sort of a familiar tale even today.
I knew both M and F fairly well. My late husband got them out of the Goldwater Hospital kitchens and into showbiz (I "forgive" him for that) He launched so many careers for Irish incomers and immigrants to NY and only two thanked him. One was Brendan O'Reilly, always in a lovely, affirming, generous way.(RTE sportscaster ) He was on a sports schol to Villanova, launched out of "student penury" and into showbiz, as a shy youngster into a confident young man. Malachy and Frank had that Irish "wall" around them. You'd never get to know them... although M appeared extroverted, it appeared more of a mask. Somuch more. Frank was always morose and angry, even tp those who helped him, bitter at having returned to Ireland. The dad was a drunk, from NI, but F couldn't admit that it was Dermot McNamara who introduced him to literature and music and inspired him to study further...via the GI bill. And it was my work as the creator of the Bloomsday event that revived the careers of the whole danged lot of them. Including Columbia U's Isaiah Sheffer. In their two person show, style "purloined directly" from my "Evening with James Joyce and Friends," the parrot sketch was stolen directly from Monty Python. Heaven knows what else was fabricated. More bt I ll keep it for a book. Malachy thanked Dermot for transforming his life with one line in the book. The attitude ws "if that effing brit could write play would can all effing write one." Malachy and Harris were very chummy at one point. Last saw Frank at fitzpatrick hotel in NY, sitting at the "deformed" ie modernised bar, looking prosperous. He managed a smile...never a "thank you," first time in twenty plus years that I saw a smile on Frank's face. Parents need to consider the effects of uprooting children. Frank was American born and raised in NY. He was probably called "the yank" in Limerick despite his Irish parentage. I was glad he could finally smile despite all the resentment. Wonder how many of his students passed their exams...
Angela's Ashes was a novel...not a biography... it didn't define the world, only one persons view of it.... that it caught the world's imagination was great for the town, artistically - but it wasn't "True" and Harris had a different take... and his take... well, that was only one of them... and Limerick is ... a place worth visiting.
You make an excellent point! Angela's Ashes offers a unique perspective, and it's fascinating to see how different interpretations can shape our understanding of a place and its people.
It seems there was bad blood between Harris and the McCourts. Be sure and listen to the video on here entitled: Richard Harris Exposes the Truth about Frank McCourt and Angela's Ashes. He doesn't have a kind word for these men. I feel like he had an axe to grind and wanted to sully the McCourt name. I understand having pride in your hometown. However, one's remembrances can differ greatly from another's, especially is they grew up in different economic situations. Harris also criticizes the McCourt men in their handling of their mother when she was alive and her ashes after she passed. Until he suffers at her hands as these men did, he doesn't have a say in the discussion.
It's interesting how historical figures like Cromwell can resurface in modern discussions. It shows how deeply rooted our past can influence present conflicts!
Richard Harris was on the money. McCourt, just a scoundrel trying to make a quick buck. Sadly people bought the book but I suppose there's no accounting for taste. I'd imagine loads of these books are bought but never read. In fairness though, McCourt was one of the first to recognise that catholic church bashing was a winner in selling God awful books.
Frank and Malachy McCourt may be who they are and what they are... but that they are Richard Harris are somehow different??? Mccourt's may have been very poor, in one way, but the Harris's showed poverty in another way... the castle Catholics... v. the ones who had nothing to pay the landlords with... I don't know which was worth, but.. having met with one, and being part of the other....
You bring up an interesting point about the different experiences of poverty and how they shaped these individuals. Each family's story adds a unique layer to our understanding of their struggles and triumphs.
All supposedly 'true' autobiographies are exaggerated and only taken from one perspective, that of the writer...If they weren't exaggerated in some parts they would be a boring read...Maybe it's called artistic licence! Harris was an upper middle class alcoholic who was raised in 3 bedroomed Victorian house. Of course it's not the Limerick he knows. The Limerick RH knows is the protestant/ English side of Limerick, rugby clubs and jolly japes, he probably wouldn't dare go near a pub anywhere near the McCourts area!...And alcoholics tend to be bitter and twisted characters, or maybe he just hated seeing a working class guy from the 'streets' becoming the 'talk of the town' in Limerick...I heard the Harris interview and he just sounds angry and a bit envious to be honest, or maybe it was that smack on the nose he got from Frank in that NY bar!..He lost his mothers ashes, big deal, we've all done that after a few beers!
You raise some interesting points about the nature of autobiographies and perspective. It's true that every story has multiple sides, and the writer's lens definitely shapes what we read.
Richard Harris... a formidable man, a mercurial talent and one of the best actors of his generation... he earned his place in history... so much culture is fleeting, ephemera... Harris will be remembered a century from now. No hyped, cultural footnote he...
Absolutely! Richard Harris truly left an indelible mark on cinema with his incredible performances. His legacy will definitely endure through the ages.
AI doing a number on. everyone , what is interesting here is , I watched the Harris critic and a week later I get in my feed an AI rebuttal of the Harris critic , interesting.
Angela's Ashes is the most wonderful book. The movie was terrible, nothing like the book. Richard Harris is just a jealous man, he always had to be the centre of attention. I think I will read it again.
The cheap jibes that McCourt uses against Harris stops me from continuing to listen to this posted video. The ways he speaks of aging and addiction tell me he is a man of no integrity. I have relatives in Limerick, my last visit I got an Irish - American version of a tan, so where's was the continuous driving rain??
I appreciate your perspective on the video! It's important to examine different viewpoints, especially when it comes to sensitive topics. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
Angela's Ashes is fiction. It may reflect the times, but it is not autobiographical. It may be as wonderful as Jane Austen's Persuasion, but it is not biography. McCourt's view of Limerick.... Austen's view on the Napolenic wars...
You're absolutely right! While McCourt's work captures the essence of his experiences, it's important to remember that fiction often weaves its own narrative threads, separate from strict autobiography.
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There's quite a bit of tea being poured here. The fact that Malachy lost his mother's ashes isn't the problem, as far as I'm concerned. The real issue, to me, is that he cremated his mother to save a buck on shipping, regardless of her known wishes to *not* be cremated for religious reasons. I have a real problem with a person who would go against the death wishes of his own mother, who believed being cremated would lock her in purgatory forever, having no body to rise in Christ with. That's shameful and he's a poor, poor man indeed to do a thing like that to his own mother.
It's evil! We Catholics should not be cremated. God bless the woman, she knew that.
I liked A Monk Swimming his book
His mother was a f*ing nightmare. Of course she was issuing instructions from the grave. Frank's book is a masterpiece
How on earth do you even presume to know the wishes of this woman? Also, Richard Harris was a great actor, but for the life of me I don't understand why he felt the need to jump into the business of another family who has nothing to do with him.
@@matthewgabbard6415 At the time of her death, cremation was still very taboo within the Catholic religion because you needed your body to be whole in order to rise in Christ, according to Catholic beliefs. They didn't like autopsies either for the same reason. I believe many Catholics today still believe this. According to Richard Harris, in an interview presented by this channel, she made statements and plans with the family, her children, that she did not want to be cremated; she wanted to be buried.
TheMcCourts we're poor Limerick. The Harris family were quite well off. Naturally they would have different perspectives on their home town
You're absolutely right! It's fascinating how different backgrounds can shape our views on the same place. Thank you for sharing your thoughts!
For sure, that's as clear as day, oddly Harris appeared to almost envy McCourts success and storyline, his was less attractive just like his persona, an actor doesn't come close to being a writer, and Harris tried to make himself both and failed. He was a snob with and occasional Irish accent when he thought it might have millage.,
My dad was a close friend of Malachy. They shared an apartment for a couple years in the 50’s where they played rugby for the NYRFC. They stayed in touch over the years and had a reunion of sorts in 2020, two yrs before my dad passed.
The stories they shared would make one blush. One of Malachy’s early jobs when he first came to NY was to sell Bibles door to door. Let’s just say he was better at helping housewives sin than he was at selling bibles.
As a friend, Malachy was always there for my dad. Thats how I will remember Malachy.
Hilarious
To describe Frank McCourt as more famous than Richard Harris is stretching it more than a bit, I think.
Ha Ha! It's peak 2024 is what it is! Madness!
Richard who?
@@nodgelyobo1 Harris, a great Irish actor, you must be very yound! Lucky you. Anybody over the age of 40 Knows who Richard Harris was! Some cracking movies when they still made cracking movies!
@BrianBoru5523 I know fine well who Harris is, I just find him a bit of an arrogant prick!
I don't have a dog in this fight, never having so much as visited Limerick. But I'm leery of the way Harris cast himself the main character in the McCourt family drama -- claiming to have been the sole confidant to the dying, mistreated Angela. My suspicion is that all three combatants were shrewd, talented, drama queens, so it feels a little unfair for Harris to begrudge the McCourts their modest, late-in-life success after enjoying so much success of his own.
You raise some interesting points about the dynamics within the McCourt family. It’s always fascinating to see how narratives can be shaped by different perspectives.
Spot on observation, Mother McCourt might well have talked to Harris but it unlikely at that stage in her life to have thought he a confessor who would blurt what she might have said to make him appear a better man, he was an actor nothing more and violent drunk of some notoriety.
Frank McCourt presented a brilliant synopsis of life in the poorest parts of Limerick I grew up in Ballynanty and I know my City.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It’s great to connect with someone who has a deep appreciation for Frank's work and the community he wrote about.
My dad is from ballynanty i still have family there
@@kingsexton I'm from Ballynanty Road.
My dad is from melick road
I may have known your father's
I have my doubts about this video. Having listened to the 'original' Harris interview, the one played here is too 'clean''; Harris's voice was far raspier and quite different in presentation and inflection. In the original interview he was recovering from a very bad cold which came through in the recording. He also swore freely, there was no 'effing', he used the 'f' word freely and in full. Also note that the majority of images presented here are AI generated, with no acknowledgement of that contrivance.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It's always interesting to hear different perspectives, especially when it comes to variations in audio quality and presentation. Yes we did use AI but the quotes are 100% authentic but I made a judgement call to use AI voices based on available voiceclips. I think hearing the words on some clip rather than reading them myself was less boring. Some think I was right and some think I was wrong but my aim was to make it as interesting as possible.
I think it's simple enough I'm 66 grew up in west Cork... it's simply Protestant against Catholic, in my day only Protestants played rugby,it been a hand me down from England,and Catholics played GAA, not that I'm proud of any of them,but that's how it was, if Mc Court played rugby, it's because, like a lot of his peers, he was trying to leave his poverty past behind him,and trying to delute the poverty stigma,that still persists in Ireland...... Harris actually sound's like the now,nevorich in Ireland, pretending none of it really happened!... we're all too awoke for that history...!
That’s absolutely not true in Limerick or Dublin or Cork City
You raise some important points about the historical context and how sports were intertwined with cultural identities. It's fascinating to see how these dynamics have evolved over the years!
Laughed out loud when I heard that bit about Frank McCourt being more famous than RICHARD HARRIS. Completely clueless.
Thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts! I’m glad that part made you laugh-humor is always a great way to connect!
I totally agree with Frank Mc Court definitely the worst childhood was a poor, Irish, Catholic one horrendous, the book actually lightens the poverty with fun aspects
Harris is jealous because he hasn’t Mc Courts genius in writing
Well said😊
@ Thanks
Well, you obviously never read anything about the horrendous English, Protestant childhoods of the industrialised city slums and mining villages of Britain. And if you think McCourt is some genius in writing it tells me you wouldn't know quality literature. At least Harris is a good actor in many films. McCourt wrote a book of fiction and pawned it off as reality. His second book didn't do well at all. I guess you can only con people once.
@@peterdoyle1591 Fair play to ya Peter, You contradict yourself in your own statement.. So it was common in that time, let it be slums of Limerick, New York or Englands industrial slums for extreme poverty to be a common thing,, so that part is not fiction and not pawned off as reality, as you pointed out it was quite common.. throughout the industrial world and beyond..
I would say McCourt was a genius in the way he could tell the story in such depths to represent the experience of many many people of that day and make a small fortune along the way by doing so..
I would put that down to American b/s that he picked up from living in New York..I bet you could not tell a story as well at that.. let alone make a few bucks from it... U know, he's done something right when Harris is all hot and bothered about it..and typical of the Irish neighbors always begrudging the other regardless of circumstance.. One mans fiction is another mans reality..
@@vesperaraven105 Where is the contradiction? She stated "I totally agree with Frank Mc Court. Definitely the WORSE childhood was a poor, Irish, Catholic one. Horrendous".
I disagreed with her statement because it is a blanket statement on ALL poor, Irish Catholic childhoods. The statement is just untrue/fiction and not reality. McCourt can write about his own perception. You can have your own fiction/perception. But you can't impose/present that perception on ANY large group of people. Which he/she did.
I read Angela's Ashes. It was soooo depressing.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It’s definitely a book that evokes strong emotions, and I appreciate your perspective on it.
Harris was from a well off Limerick family and would have had no experience of the poverty that the McCourts lived through.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It's important to recognize the different backgrounds that shape each individual’s experiences and contributions to the arts.
The book portrayed the mother and father having money to drink and smoke but expected others to feed and clothe their children. That's not the fault of the State or the city of Limerick. No one will ever doubt Richard Harris abilities as an actor on the world stage. Trying to diminish him only diminishes the McCourt brothers.
You raise some valid points about the complexities of their family dynamics. It's interesting how different perspectives can shape our understanding of their stories.
EAST SIDE-WEST SIDE. Harris was wealthy and oblivious, McCourt was poor-there is the difference. Harris comes off as jealous and petty.
As an Irish person, I know that McCourt's version - Angela's Ashes - is untrue - in that it is exaggerated, over blown...
It's interesting to hear your perspective as an Irish person. McCourt's storytelling certainly sparked a lot of discussions about authenticity in memoirs!
ˆrecall reading an article that the people he knew in Ireland discounted his book.
I think I came across this because I watched some Gladiator videos and RUclips decided I needed to see this McCourt v Harris saga!
Not disappointed
There was another brother Mike. He bartended in San Francisco. I met him once as mutual friends knew him. I worked in the bar where he worked in his heyday.
We visited him in a joint where he worked the lunch shift. I was pissed as a newt as we had been on a bender since the night before. But I had kind of drunk myself sober. He was well used to drunks of course. Seemed a nice Guy. Was asking me if I knew of his teacher in Limerick. He must have been in his 60's or 70's. I was in my early 30's.
He was the non-famous one. Though he was well known in San Francisco due to his bartending antics. A celebrity Bartender. When such things still existed. Men famous for a larger than life personality rather than whether they could make a good martini or not.
He worked in Perry's on Union Street.
@patrickdent7322 Yes. As did I. But he had moved on by the time I arrived. He was working days in a place called Seal's Cove on the waterfront.
The reality of Limerick probably lies somewhere in the middle.
McCourt depicted his very own Limerick, with his prejudice and his own hardship. It would be unfair to read that book and expect an impartial depiction of that town.
There is a reason that limerick people dont think much of McCourt always played the victim in anything he done and always comes across so bitter anything to save a few pound what they done to their mother was disgraceful
You live in Limerick and were at the funeral? Apparently you also conducted a poll to gauge the opinion of the majority of the inhabitants.
The poverty portrayed in Angela's Ashes was typical of countless Irish childhoods of that era. My own mother had a similar upbringing of Dickensian poverty, in Dundalk, Ireland. Dr Noel Browne, the great Irish politician and most unselfish and honourable Government minister that Ireland has ever had, describes the destruction that poverty wrought on his childhod days, in his wonderful autobiography, Against The Tide. Though saying all that, I would agree with Harris' belief that the film version of Angela's Ashes is a miserable load of shite and in no way does justice to a magnificent book.
Thank you for sharing such a personal insight! It’s always valuable to hear how these stories resonate with individuals and their families.
Harris was wrong.. came from a privileged family .. Mc Court from a poverty stricken family like thousands of other families even some today ..yes today. A pity about Richard Harris’s opinion… nothing to do with the City of Limerick at all.
You make an important point about the different backgrounds that shape individual perspectives. It's crucial to recognize the diversity of experiences, especially in discussions about privilege and hardship.
The interview with the journalist from the English paper in Rome sounds like AI
"Your going to tell more lies now, are you Frank?".
I guess he is. He's a real victim.
Ive loved Frank since reading the book in 1999 and no one but he himself knows what he suffered
It's only natural that two Irishmen would go at it. We're "the fighting Irish" after all.
Shut up
Only been to Limerick twice....instantly a forgettable experience.
Thanks for sharing your experience! Every perspective is valuable, and it's always helpful to hear different takes on a city.
It's sad that Angela's Ashes remains a predominant idea of who we are
I completely understand where you’re coming from. Angela's Ashes certainly captures a specific narrative, but there’s so much more to our story as a culture.
Brilliant book, very talented family, Mr. Harris demeans himself here. Frank didn't tell half the truth!
Angelas Ashes is a depressing over exaggeration of poverty in Limerick. Franks description of Harris as a wealthy snob is also an exaggeration
He lost his baby brothers and sisters to starvation come on
Harris was from a prosperous upper class family
Frank mccourt portrays his own grandmother(his mothers mother) as a deeply prejudiced woman who hated mcourts father. My father walked out of the movie. After 20 mins.
My late dad emigrated to the usa in 1952. He returned to Ireland in 1959 and finished off is medical studies in the usa between 1966 and 1969. My late mother gave him the book. Dad and I saw that infamous late late show interview between Harris old friend and Frank mccourt and that's when my father explained to me about richard Harris family wealth. My grandfather worked in the flour mill company which operated in westmeath. My fathers parents met in the cooperative movement in westmeath.
Thank you for sharing your family's incredible story! It's fascinating to hear about your dad's journey and the connections to Richard Harris and Westmeath.
All the money my fathers mom and dad saved up went on thier children's education. And also hard work was instilled into his three older siblings. By the time they died they were in 80s and 90s. And were very well educated but they worked hard. They were interested in politics due to 1921 and all that. And my grand uncle who was involved in all of that
while idont know much harris, mcourt i have been aware of since he wrote angelas ashes,i was brought up on a farm in clare near limerick city also had relatives there, it seems to me mcourts description of limerick is more realistic than harris if my recall is correct as this was in the fifties i left in 58 getting got the train in limerick to to dublin to london ,all ican say having only seen clips from the moviei it did look familar to me perhaps the rain was i bit much but it never stops raining and blowing in clare and limeriick to suggest limerick citywas anything but a grim bleak shithole in those days and not the beloved paradise harris would have you believe ofc live was comfortable for the anglo irish who left as soon as possible rather suffacing from boredom and misery, ithink the mcourts deserve a medal for surviving this wretched shithole and prospering, iconsider harris a pretentios ,vicious bitter snob with an axe to grind the little i know of him or if he even exists these days
It's fascinating to hear your perspective on McCourt and Harris. The contrast in their depictions of Limerick really highlights how personal experiences can shape our views of a place. Thank you for sharing your memories!
the blindness of class
Wow powerful statement, and so true thank you ,
I watched the movie "Angela's Ashes", but haven't gotten around to reading the book.
I found the movie rather depressing, but chalked it up to its graphic realism with respect to the tragedy and poverty of working class life in Ireland. As to Harris, he was an outstanding actor and certainly entitled to his opinion. One of his greatest films was the grueling and bloody "This Sporting Life". I admit to being surprised when Harris was cast to play "Cromwell". Again, an excellent film, but obviously biased "history" that ignores Cromwell's brutality and ethnic cleansing in occupied Ireland. I don't know how to put all this together. We're all familiar with the savage censorship and "criticism" unleashed by Joyce's "Ulysses", with it's cast of provocative characters like Molly Bloom. I'm sure most devout Catholics recoiled in horror from Joyce's memories of life in Catholic boarding school; in his "Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man"; trembling and shivering in bed as he contemplated the horrors of Hell. Did anyone go after Joyce for the "exaggerations" of his autobiographical references?
McCourt's mistake was to publish his book as memoir rather than as FICTION.
With "fiction", you can get away with anything. Even libel, as long as you change the names. So is Harris basically tearing apart "Angela's Ashes" as a poor and dishonest representation of life in Limerick during the 1950s? Or is he criticizing it as "bad fiction"?
You've raised some fascinating points! The intersection of history and personal narrative in these works can be quite complex, especially when it comes to how they're portrayed in film versus literature. It's interesting to consider how personal experiences shape these stories and the reactions they provoke.
Angela Ashes a beautiful sad and funny book. Thank you Frank McCourt.
Thank you for your kind words! Frank McCourt's work has touched so many lives, and it’s wonderful to see appreciation for his talent.
Hmmm. I love Richard Harris as an actor. But Richard Harris came from a wealthy family whose wealth didn’t diminish until he was an adult with a lucrative career. He knows nothing about the struggles of the poor. Sort of a familiar tale even today.
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It's always enlightening to see how different backgrounds shape our understanding of an artist’s journey.
Fighting irish thats why they call us that
Naaaahhhh
That doesn't sound like Richard Harris's voice
It's not. I'd say the text is legit though.
What about his well paid employment with Jackie Brosnan tho
This sounds suspiciously like Gerry Hannon putting on an American accent
"You said Willy Harold!!!!"
@Belisaur you have censored me once before, you won't censor me again...
I knew both M and F fairly well. My late husband got them out of the Goldwater Hospital kitchens and into showbiz (I "forgive" him for that) He launched so many careers for Irish incomers and immigrants to NY and only two thanked him. One was Brendan O'Reilly, always in a lovely, affirming, generous way.(RTE sportscaster ) He was on a sports schol to Villanova, launched out of "student penury" and into showbiz, as a shy youngster into a confident young man.
Malachy and Frank had that Irish "wall" around them. You'd never get to know them... although M appeared extroverted, it appeared more of a mask. Somuch more. Frank was always morose and angry, even tp those who helped him, bitter at having returned to Ireland. The dad was a drunk, from NI, but F couldn't admit that it was Dermot McNamara who introduced him to literature and music and inspired him to study further...via the GI bill.
And it was my work as the creator of the Bloomsday event that revived the careers of the whole danged lot of them. Including Columbia U's Isaiah Sheffer.
In their two person show, style "purloined directly" from my "Evening with James Joyce and Friends," the parrot sketch was stolen directly from Monty Python. Heaven knows what else was fabricated. More bt I
ll keep it for a book. Malachy thanked Dermot for transforming his life with one line in the book. The attitude ws "if that effing brit could write play would can all effing write one."
Malachy and Harris were very chummy at one point.
Last saw Frank at fitzpatrick hotel in NY, sitting at the "deformed" ie modernised bar, looking prosperous. He managed a smile...never a "thank you," first time in twenty plus years that I saw a smile on Frank's face. Parents need to consider the effects of uprooting children. Frank was American born and raised in NY. He was probably called "the yank" in Limerick despite his Irish parentage. I was glad he could finally smile despite all the resentment. Wonder how many of his students passed their exams...
Angela's Ashes was a novel...not a biography... it didn't define the world, only one persons view of it.... that it caught the world's imagination was great for the town, artistically - but it wasn't "True" and Harris had a different take... and his take... well, that was only one of them... and Limerick is ... a place worth visiting.
You make an excellent point! Angela's Ashes offers a unique perspective, and it's fascinating to see how different interpretations can shape our understanding of a place and its people.
It seems there was bad blood between Harris and the McCourts. Be sure and listen to the video on here entitled: Richard Harris Exposes the Truth about Frank McCourt and Angela's Ashes. He doesn't have a kind word for these men. I feel like he had an axe to grind and wanted to sully the McCourt name. I understand having pride in your hometown. However, one's remembrances can differ greatly from another's, especially is they grew up in different economic situations. Harris also criticizes the McCourt men in their handling of their mother when she was alive and her ashes after she passed. Until he suffers at her hands as these men did, he doesn't have a say in the discussion.
You know the fight is geting dirty when they dig up Cromwell, but come to think of it the English acutely did that.
It's interesting how historical figures like Cromwell can resurface in modern discussions. It shows how deeply rooted our past can influence present conflicts!
Richard Harris was on the money. McCourt, just a scoundrel trying to make a quick buck. Sadly people bought the book but I suppose there's no accounting for taste. I'd imagine loads of these books are bought but never read. In fairness though, McCourt was one of the first to recognise that catholic church bashing was a winner in selling God awful books.
Frank and Malachy McCourt may be who they are and what they are... but that they are Richard Harris are somehow different???
Mccourt's may have been very poor, in one way, but the Harris's showed poverty in another way... the castle Catholics... v. the ones who had nothing to pay the landlords with... I don't know which was worth, but.. having met with one, and being part of the other....
You bring up an interesting point about the different experiences of poverty and how they shaped these individuals. Each family's story adds a unique layer to our understanding of their struggles and triumphs.
All supposedly 'true' autobiographies are exaggerated and only taken from one perspective, that of the writer...If they weren't exaggerated in some parts they would be a boring read...Maybe it's called artistic licence! Harris was an upper middle class alcoholic who was raised in 3 bedroomed Victorian house. Of course it's not the Limerick he knows. The Limerick RH knows is the protestant/ English side of Limerick, rugby clubs and jolly japes, he probably wouldn't dare go near a pub anywhere near the McCourts area!...And alcoholics tend to be bitter and twisted characters, or maybe he just hated seeing a working class guy from the 'streets' becoming the 'talk of the town' in Limerick...I heard the Harris interview and he just sounds angry and a bit envious to be honest, or maybe it was that smack on the nose he got from Frank in that NY bar!..He lost his mothers ashes, big deal, we've all done that after a few beers!
McCourt’s own mother described the stories as a pack of lies.
You raise some interesting points about the nature of autobiographies and perspective. It's true that every story has multiple sides, and the writer's lens definitely shapes what we read.
Indeed. That is absolutely true.
Richard Harris... a formidable man, a mercurial talent and one of the best actors of his generation... he earned his place in history... so much culture is fleeting, ephemera... Harris will be remembered a century from now. No hyped, cultural footnote he...
Absolutely! Richard Harris truly left an indelible mark on cinema with his incredible performances. His legacy will definitely endure through the ages.
Harris comes across as being unhinged here...
Thank you for sharing your thoughts! It’s always fascinating to hear different interpretations of such a complex character.
AI doing a number on. everyone , what is interesting here is , I watched the Harris critic and a week later I get in my feed an AI rebuttal of the Harris critic , interesting.
It's fascinating how AI algorithms can tailor content to our interests so quickly! It really shows how interconnected our online experiences are.
Leprechaun fights are the best. Ara shut ya' can't take any of them seriously. Lace curtain Irish😂
None if these ppl read the books i did Angelas Ashes Tis A monk swimming the books are great
Angela's Ashes is the most wonderful book. The movie was terrible, nothing like the book. Richard Harris is just a jealous man, he always had to be the centre of attention. I think I will read it again.
I totally agree! The book captures such deep emotions that the movie just couldn't quite replicate. Enjoy your re-read!
Mc Court is arguing in bad faith there
The cheap jibes that McCourt uses against Harris stops me from continuing to listen to this posted video. The ways he speaks of aging and addiction tell me he is a man of no integrity. I have relatives in Limerick, my last visit I got an Irish - American version of a tan, so where's was the continuous driving rain??
I appreciate your perspective on the video! It's important to examine different viewpoints, especially when it comes to sensitive topics. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
This is what Harris was trying to say...
It seems like you’ve got a good grasp on what Harris meant! What do you think his main message was?
O AyE THE FATHERS MAGIK SPRING
Team McCourt
@@TheCarlocaroline team Gerry Hannan!
Team Harris
Poverty is traumatic the PTSD from losing his twin brothers and baby sister come on he suffered more than it says
Angela's Ashes is fiction. It may reflect the times, but it is not autobiographical. It may be as wonderful as Jane Austen's Persuasion, but it is not biography. McCourt's view of Limerick.... Austen's view on the Napolenic wars...
You're absolutely right! While McCourt's work captures the essence of his experiences, it's important to remember that fiction often weaves its own narrative threads, separate from strict autobiography.
What's with the american twang lol