“Angela's Ashes” quotes

“- Miss Barry: I said shut up, McCourt.
- Young Frank: All right, Miss Barry.
- Miss Barry: That's the end of it McCourt, don't try me.
- Young Frank: I won't, Miss Barry.
- Miss Barry: Mother of God! Give me patience!
- Young Frank: Yes, Miss Barry.
- Miss Barry: Take the last word McCourt. Take it. Take it. Take it!
- Young Frank: I will, Miss...” (continue)(continue reading)

Maggie McCarthy - Miss Barry
Joe Breen - Young Frank

“- Cohessy: Sir, what use is Euclid when the Germans are bombing everything in sight?
- Teacher: What use is Euclid? Without Euclid, the Messerschmitt could never have taken to the sky and dart from cloud to cloud and bomb the bejesus - out of the English, who deserve it after what they did to the Irish for 800 years. Euclid is grace and beauty...” (continue)(continue reading)

“Dr. Campbell came in and held my hand. It was then that I knew I was going to get better because a doctor would never fart in the presence of a dying boy.”

Andrew Bennett - Narrator

“- Angela McCourt: I was thinking of calling him Alphonsius.
- Middle Frank: Alphonsius? That's a stupid name!”
Emily Watson - Angela McCourt
Ciaran Owens - Middle Frank

“- Angela McCourt: If I were able I would go to work in the English factories.
- Malachy: Factory's no place for a woman, Angela.
- Angela McCourt: Sittin' on your arse is no place for a man, Malachy.”
Emily Watson - Angela McCourt
Robert Carlyle - Malachy (Dad)

“I wouldn't give the English the steam off my pish!”
Robert Carlyle - Malachy (Dad)

“In the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Toast.”
Joe Breen - Young Frank

“Irish is the language of Patriots. And English of traitors and informers. But latin, ah boys, latin. That the holy martyrs spoke before expiring in the foaming mouths of ravenous lions. Yes, it's latin that gains the entrance to heaven itself.”

“Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been a minute since my last confession.”
Joe Breen - Young Frank

“We must've been the only Irish family to be saying goodbye to the Statue of Liberty rather than hello.”

Andrew Bennett - Narrator

“America, wonderful land of the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Chippewa, Sioux, Apache, Iroquois, poetry boys. and the chiefs! Listen. Kicking Bear, Rain-in-the-face, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse, and the man himself, the genius Geronimo. Stock your minds, boys, and you can move through the world.”
Gerard McSorley - Father Gregory

“That's Fintan Slattery. He's going to be a saint when he gets older. everyone knows he wears his sister's blouse at night, and curls his hair with hot iron tongs, so that he'll look gorgeous at mass on sundays. It's no wonder we played truant.”

Andrew Bennett - Narrator

“When I look back on my childhood, I wonder how my brothers and I managed to survive at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood. The happy childhood is hardly worth telling. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood. And worse still is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.”
Andrew Bennett - Narrator

- Father O'Halloran: Clarke, define "resplendent".
- Clarke: I think it's shining, sir.
- Father O'Halloran: Pithy, but adequate. McCourt, give us a sentence with "pithy".
- Young Frank: Clarke is pithy but adequate, sir.
- Father O'Halloran: Adroit, McCourt. You have a mind for the priesthood, my boy, or politics. Tell your mother to come and... (continue)(continue reading)
Gerard McSorley - Father Gregory
Danny O'Carroll - Clarke
Joe Breen - Young Frank

If I were in America I could say "I love you, dad" the way they do in the films. But in Limerick they'd laugh at you. In Limerick you are only allowed to say you love God, and babies, and horses that win. Anything else is softness in the head.
Andrew Bennett - Narrator

“There are boys in this class who will never know sanctifying grace. And why? Because of greed. Those greedy little blackguards are talking even now, about the money they'll get from the collection. They'll go from house to house in their little suits like beggars. And will they take any of that money and send it to the the poor black babies in...” (continue)(continue reading)

“Is there any boy in this class who thinks he's perfect? If so, raise your hands. Is there any boy here now who has money galore to be spending on shoes? Raise your hands. No. There are boys in this class who have no shoes at all and it's not their fault. It's not their shame. Our lord died shoeless! You don't see our lord hanging on the cross...” (continue)(continue reading)

“It's poor I am. It's unlucky I am. But it's useless I am not.”
Robert Carlyle - Malachy (Dad)

“You should go down on your knees every night and give thanks to god that you're not a yank. If you were, Al Capone would be coming to you for instruction.”

“- Angela McCourt: That's the baby Jesus. And if you ever need anything, you should pray to him.
- Young Malachy: Could you tell Jesus that we're hungry?
- Young Frank: Shut up!”

Emily Watson - Angela McCourt
Shane Murray-Corcoran - Young Malachy
Joe Breen - Young Frank

“- Aunt Aggie: Mother of God! You're wearin' my dead mother's dress!
- Young Frank: I washed my clothes for the big job.
- Aunt Aggie: What big job?
- Young Frank: Telegram boy at the post office.
- Aunt Aggie: If the post officer are taking on the likes of you, they must be in a desperate state.”
Pauline McLynn - Aunt Aggie
Joe Breen - Young Frank

“Frankie, there's nothing in the world like a good feed of apples and a drink of water, and a good shit and plenty of grass to wipe your arse with.”
Frank Laverty - Young Paddy Clohessy

“- Young Malachy: Look at my bum!
- Young Frank: Stop showing your bum!
- Young Malachy: I was just trying to make them laugh!”

Shane Murray-Corcoran - Young Malachy
Joe Breen - Young Frank

“It was the first time my father ever kissed me. I felt so happy I could float.”
Andrew Bennett - Narrator