1. An introduction to Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir
By Frank McCourt

2. Frank McCourt Born in NYC in 1930 NYC to Ireland, back to NYC @ 19
High School English teacher
Pulitzer Prize 1997 for Angela’s Ashes
Narrator of Angela’s Ashes
He died in 2009

3. Frank McCourt’s books Angela’s Ashes -1996 T’is - 1999
Teacher Man – 2005
Brother Malachy McCourt also wrote book A Monk Swimming

4. A Brief history of Irish/British conflict
1500s Britain conquered Ireland
Years of discrimination against Catholics, Irish Landowners lost land.
Easter Rising
Armed Rebellion by IRA
Irish Civil War

5. A Brief history of Irish/British conflict
Civil War begun after Michael Collins accepts British terms
Ireland split - Northern Protestant and Southern Catholic

6. Setting Brooklyn, New York Limerick, Ireland Strong Catholic history
depths of The Great Depression

7. Key Themes
Coping with adversity – poverty, bereavement (sadness caused by the loss of a loved one), hunger, and an alcoholic father
Class and religious prejudice
Guilt
The power of stories and storytelling

8. Genre Angela’s Ashes: A Memoir Non-fiction. i.e. NOT a novel!
A memoir = type of autobiography where author records events and people that shaped his life
This memoir focuses on Frank McCourt’s childhood in 1930s-40s Ireland

9. McCourt Family Angela, Malachy Frank Malachy Jr.
Eugene, Oliver, Margaret, Michael, Alphie

10. Frank’s mother Angela
The book is named after her action of staring into the ashes
She is from Limerick
Sacrificial and loving mother who does all she can to provide for her family

11. Frank’s father Malachy
From County Antrim, Ulster, Northern Ireland.
Majority are Presbyterian as it had links to Scotland
Malachy was a member of IRA
Nationalist
Often sang of Roddy McCorley, a protestant nationalist who also came from County Antrim.
Alcoholic
Had a ‘peculiar manner’
A storyteller

12. Frank’s father will reference these heroes throughout the memoir.
Irish Heroes
Frank’s father will reference these heroes throughout the memoir.

13. Kevin Barry
Kevin Barry was born in Dublin, Ireland in In 1920, while attending college, he took part in a raid, which ended badly. Three British soldiers were killed, and Barry was tortured and hanged in the Mountjoy jail at the age of eighteen. Barry refused to name his comrades under torture.

14. Roddy McCorley
McCorley was a participant in the Irish rebellion of After hiding for nearly a year, he attempted to flee to the United States. However, he was betrayed and captured by British soldiers. He was executed on February 28, 1800 in the town of Toomebridge "near the bridge of Toome."

15. Oliver Cromwell
Frank says that the masters at the Catholic school he attends are often extremely harsh on the students.
He comments, “If you ever say anything good about Oliver Cromwell they’ll all hit you.”
Cromwell was an English military leader and politician. He was also the leader of Irish movements and
took measures against Irish Catholics that
were viewed by many as genocidal. For
these acts, he is generally hated in Ireland.