Malachy McCourt at 85: 'I am an atheist, thank God'

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By Michael D. Langan
Published Thu, May 18, 2017

You probably know of Malachy McCourt, the Irish writer and raconteur. Likely you remember his brother, Frank McCourt, (1930 – 2009), who wrote “Angela’s Ashes” (1996), a memoir of hard times as a youth in Limerick, Ireland. It won the Pulitzer Prize for literature.

Malachy McCourt, (1933 - ) is the younger, rascally brother of the McCourt boys. He was born in Brooklyn but grew up in Limerick, “grimy and patched.” Earlier, twins in the family, Oliver and Eugene (1932) came along, and, later, a sister, Margaret, who died seven weeks after her birth in 1935.

Of his life in this book, Malachy says he “did a bit of dishwashing, long-shoring, military service, bartending, stage acting and saloon owning.” If you hung around Irish pubs like "Malachy’s" and "Himself" years ago in New York, you couldn’t miss him. He would be the entertainment at various venues, telling jokes after what passed for dinner. During the day he was an actor on the soaps, “Ryan’s Hope”, “All My Children,” and others.

The cover of Malachy’s “Death Need Not Be Fatal” alone is worth a couple of bucks as a chuckle. It pictures himself smiling and alive in a casket. He’s there in white, fluffy repose, arms over his chest. His neck is turned to the right, looking at you, giving a weird, “I’ve got mine, Jack” smile, as if he’s pulled one over on death.



Death Need Not Be Fatal

By Malachy McCourt with Brian McDonald
Center Street
259 pages, $27

http://buffalonews.com/2017/05/18/85-says-atheist-thank-god/

[Freddie]

1. The twins both died

Soon after the family moved back to Ireland. There were 2 more brothers, Michael and Alphonso, born in Ireland.
Loved his first book and of course Frank's wonderful books. Will have to get this.

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2. Their lives have certainly captured a particular time and a particular place.

[Jim__]

3. Malachy McCourt talking (a little bit) about Death Need Not Be Fatal.

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I remember (or sort of remember - not sure how accurate this is) back in the late 60s or early 70s Malachy was on the Mike Douglas Show with Richard Harris. Back then I guess he was a bartender, and the bit on the Douglas show was him and Harris talking about how Harris had come into his bar one night and Harris is depressed about his life and he’s talking about that. Malachy tells him he knows something that might help and he arranges to meet Harris in his apartment where he gives him LSD and then sits and talks with him as he takes his trip. Harris said that it cured him of his depression and of some on and off bouts with alcoholism.

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4. Thanks for finding that. It's great to hear his voice.

Before he bought a house in Connecticut, Frank McCourt had a house in Milford, Pennsylvania when he was writing 'Tis. A few times I ran into him at the store. I never talked to him but I enjoyed waiting in line behind him listening to him talk as he paid for his stuff.