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2019 Actor/Author And Character

16th,

October Malachy McCourt’s Presence

| In New York’s Irish
EXAMINER

IRISH Community And Beyond

By Brad Balfour thinking in one way or anoth- own. He’s done several tomes laughs].” Frank was having difficulties
hether he's sitting in er, the words, and how some- on Ireland such as “Voices of The last surviving McCourt, with his first wife — the one I
his little scooter or times I regret not having the Ireland: Classic Writings of a who all famously hailed from called ‘The War Department’
Wusing a well-worn formal education. I left school Rich and Rare Land,” “Danny Limerick, Malachy’s been best — and Frank was very, ‘I will
walker, 89-year-old Malachy [in Ireland] when I was 13 and I Boy: The Legend of the known recently as Frank’s come, no I won’t come’. The
McCourt has a ubiquitous pres- was so bloody stupid. Beloved Irish Ballad,” and “The flame keeper (who died in mother said, ‘Frank wouldn’t
ence on the streets of Manhattan “My last job there was when Claddagh Ring: Ireland's 2009). Of course, he gets a siz- be happy unless he was miser-
and in many a restaurant, event I was a house boy for the Cherished Symbol Of able mention as the ebullient able.’ In fact, that wife long
or on the occasion to celebrate Jesuits. I used to polish their Friendship;” and then there his kid brother in the bestseller. kept Frank from being the
being Irish. He’s been seen doing shoes and make their beds and own memoirs. “A Monk Yet for a great many years, great writer that he turned out
areadingatanannualBloomsday polish the floor and all that. But Swimming” and “Singing My Malachy was the sociable and to be. Once she was gone he
celebrating; chatting at some they had a lovely library so I Him Song” details his life in gregarious alternative to taci- was able to get his work done.
cocktail reception or on the red- was able to look at that. I was Ireland and later return to the turn Frank’s more gloomy “I was after Frank for years
carpet doing a step-and-repeat for very lucky. I found a History of United States where he aura. Said Malachy, “Frank was saying ‘you better write that
a new indie film he’s in. India when I was six, and was a launched a successful one year, one month and one book!’ and he was teaching and
In the grand old building really thick book and I plowed Manhattan tavern frequented day older than me. Extremely talking in school and so forth,
where he shares a spacious through that. Took me about a by many celebrities. bright and intelligent, he was a but the War Department
apartment with his wife and year ‘cause that’s how I learned He addressed his sibling’s smallish kind of fellow. And he would put him down and say,
various family, this upper to read.” success — which brought fur- looked like a Protestant —with ‘Who would be interested in
Westside resident welcomes That lack might have pro- ther fame to the family name brown eyes and black hair. We your shitty story about your
visitors into his well stocked sit- vided sufficient motivation for by spilling its secrets. “Before often called him Cranky pauper war life in your small
ting room/library. Surrounded him to prove his skills other- Frank published ‘Angela’s Frankie. He had a fierce tem- town in Ireland and all that?
by thousands of books and wise, since McCourt has writ- Ashes,’ he was always known per. Even adults were terrified Who’d give a shit about that?’
papers, Malachy holds court ten numerous books drawing as Malachy’s older brother of him. He’d rise up in a second But finally he got it down.”
(so to speak) and waxes elo- on his life and love for being given my long history in the and had the gift of language, so As Malachy revealed,
quent about many issues politi- Irish. Though the McCourt entertainment world but once he could reduce you with 10 Frank’s success was just about
cal, social, and familial. Even name got a bump thanks to late his book became a bestseller words to nothing. But he had a begin. “He thought he was
though it looks like he’s the older brother Frank’ success [selling beyond 10 million gloomy outlook. We were going to get a few thousand-
best read man in the world, he with his family memoir copies] and he won the Pulitzer going on holidays and Angela dollar advance, but when
acknowledged his lack of for- “Angela’s Ashes,” Malachy has Prize I was his younger brother [the mother] was here. We major publishers came calling
mal education. “I’m always got quite a bibliography of his — which was fine with me [he were renting a big house and the book received a sizable
advance and his new career as
author was on its way.”
Yet, it’s no wonder that
Malachy had status as the other
famous McCourt for a long
time. As an actor, he’s been on
stage, television and in numer-
ous films including: 1970’s The
Molly Maguires, ’78’s “The
Brink's Job,” 1982’s “Q,” ’85’s
“Brewster's Millions,” The
January Man (1989), 2002’s
“Beyond the Pale” and “Ash
Wednesday.” And in 2003,
McCourt played Francis
Preston Blair in “Gods and
Generals” . Recently he was
found at the September pre-
miere of “Toss It” — his most
recent cinematic adventure —
an indie-released anti-romantic
rom-com. but that’s typical of
McCourt. Born in Brooklyn,
raised in Ireland, he eventually
returned to the States in 1952
Malachy McCourt with Paddy McCarthy, Publisher of the Irish Examiner USA at 21 and immersed himself in