31 quotes
Debt and Despair in Frank's World
Frank
Everyone I know and half the poor of ] are here. They all owed the old bitch money. Well, not anymore.
[[w:Limerik|Limerick; ''Throws ledger book into [[w:River Shannon|the River Shannon]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Frank's Perspective on Mikey's Expertise
Frank
Also, Mikey is the expert in the lane on girls bodies... and dirty things in general.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
First Confession and Admission of Sins
Frank
Oh, look, I'll take one of these as well. In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. This is my first confession.
Confessional priest
Yes, my child. And what sins have you committed?
Frank
I told a lie, I hit my brother, I stole a penny from my mother's purse, and I ate a sausage on Friday.
Confessional priest
Yes, my child, anything else?
Frank
I listened to dirty things about girls from the lanes... who don't care what they do because they because they've already done it with their brothers.
Confessional priest
And who told you these things?
Frank
Mikey Molloy, Father.
Confessional priest
Hmm. For your penance, say three Hail Marys, three Our Fathers, and say a special prayer for me.
Frank
Am I one of the worst boys, Father?
Confessional priest
No, my child. You have a long way to go.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Morning Chaos Before First Communion
Grandma Sheehan
Wake up! Wake up! His First Communion, the happiest day of his life, and the lot of you still snoring in there! Here, you two, get up! Go on! Look at him! A bar of soap wouldn't be lost on him. I'll be red raw. I swear it's the Northern Ireland in you. It attracts the dirt. You've the dirty gob of your father. Aah! That's cold. Jesus, you have enough dirt in your ears to grow potatoes! Will you look at that mop?! It won't lie down! You didn't get this hair from our side of the family! ]! It's like, like what you'd see on a Presbyterian!
[''Washing a Frank's ear''; [w:Northern Ireland|This is North of Ireland hair you got from your father]
Frank
Will you stop spitting on me?
Grandma
A little spit won't kill you! If your mother had married a proper, decent Limerick man, you wouldn't have stand-up, North of Ireland, Protestant hair. And we wouldn't be late! Corpus Christi!
[''Repeatedly'']
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Family Breakfast Before Communion
Frank
Mam, can I go now and make the Collection? I want to go to the Lyric to see ].
[[w:James Cagney|James Cagney]
Grandma Sheehan
You can't make the Collection until you've had a proper First Communion breakfast at my house. Mam. Will you look at him? The manners of a pig. He eats like a Presbyterian. Is it a millionaire you think I am? An American? Is there any more tea in the pot, Mam? - Aye. - I could do with a cup. You all right, Frankie? - What's the matter, Frankie? What's wrong with that child? Look what he did! He's thrown up the body and blood of Jesus. What am I to do? I have God in me backyard! I'm taking you to the priest. That was a dreadful thing you did in my backyard.
[Frank runs out tp the backyard and vomits]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Frustration Over Household Responsibilities and Expectations
Griffin
You useless great lump, living free under me roof with you snotty-nosed pack of brats. You. Go to the shop for a few sods and some kindling. Come on. Or are you as useless as your mother? Did you empty the chamber pot today?
[''Speaking to Frank'']
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Class Struggles and Frustrations in Daily Life
Obese woman
Come in for ]. And the gorgeous green peas and the flowery potatoes.
[[w:Mutton|the lovely leg of lamb]
Frank's father
Oh, shut up, will you woman? It's a low class mind to torment your neighbors when there's nothing but bread and tea we have.
Obese woman
Get off to work in England like the rest of our husbands.
Frank
Go and help England win a war? I wouldn't give the English the steam off my pish.
Obese woman
No, You'd rather drink the dole, and watch your sons run around all skin and bone, with their arses hanging out their trousers!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Childhood Curiosity about Differences in Experience
Mikey
Now, on top, the girls ]. ]. And down at the bottom, now that's an entirely different matter. They don't have ] down there.
[[w:breast|have great floppy things called titties; [w:areola|And at the end of them, great red things like dogs' noses; [w:Penis|a mickey]
Frank
What do they have?
Mikey
I can tell you, but I don't think he should hear it.
Frank
Malachy, go away. Eww! Yuck!
[''Mikey leans forward to whisper in Frank's ear'']
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Child's Yearning for Maternal Affection
Frank
I thought mam would come and kiss me good night, to say thank you for sticking up for her. But no, she went to him.
[''Frank is in bed watching his mother, who is also watching him as she starts stepping up the stairs in Laman Griffin's residence'']
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Gender Roles and Work Expectations
Angela McCourt
If I were able I would go to work in ]
[[w:Industrial Revolution|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.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Perceptions of Strength and Vulnerability in Limerick
Frank
]. But in Limerick they'd laugh at you. In ] you are only allowed to say you love God, and babies, and horses that win. Anything else is softness in the head.
[[w:Culture of the United States|If I were in America, I could say "I love you, dad", the way they do in the films; [w:Limerick|Limerick]
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Aunt Aggie's Disapproval of Uncle Pa's Tale
Uncle Pa Keating
Jesus, I said to meself, I have so much gas in my system, tis a great pity to waste it. So I shove a pipe up my arse, light a match to it... ...and there I have a fine flame ready to boil water in any billy can. The English come from trenches... to pay me any amount of money to boil their water.
[''boys giggle'']
Aunt Aggie
That's no story to be telling in the presence of a dead child.
Grandma Sheehan
Tis better than sitting with a long face.
Uncle Pa Keating
I made so much money in the trenches that I was able to bribe the generals, who didn't normally give a fiddler's fart about the Irish, to let me out of the army, and off I went to ], where I had a fine time drinking wine... with the models and artists and talkin the lingo.
[[w:Paris|Paris]
Aunt Aggie
You think that's funny, do you?
Uncle Pa Keating
I had a great time over there.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
God's Presence in Unexpected Places
Grandma Sheehan
I've got God in me backyard!
[''Frank throws up [[w:First Communion|his communion breakfast]
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confession of Sins and Guilt
Frank
Paddy Clohessy found a priest to confess our hideous sins to. He's 90 years old and deaf as a ]. Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been ages since me last confession. I've been masturbating. Except one day, he died and didn't tell us. Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been a fort- It's been a fortnight since my last confession.
[[w:turnip|turnip; ''Frank realizes it's another priest, a young man, then sits up more stiffly and seriously'']
Priest
And what have you done since then, my child?
Frank
I, uh, I hit my brother. I lied to my mother.
Priest
Yes, my child. And what else?
Frank
Uh, I did dirty things, Father.
Priest
Ah, my child, was that with yourself or with another? ]?
[[w:Zoophilia|Or with some class of beast]
Frank
Beast? I never heard of a sin like that, Father. This priest must be from the country. He's opening up new worlds for me.
[''Voice of thought'']
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Angela Reflects on Malachy's Absence
Angela
We all miss Malachy. He's, uh, miss him? He... He's gone to join the army band! Playing the bugle. The bugle? Can you imagine that, playin the bugle? Playin the fool, more like.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Confession and Humor in a Sacred Space
Frank
In the name of The Father and of The Son and of the Holy Ghost. Bless me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been a day since my last confession. A day?
Confessional Priest
And what sins have you committed in a day, my son?
Frank
I overslept, and I nearly missed my First Communion. My hair stuck up like a Protestant's, and I threw up my First Holy Communion breakfast. Now me grandma says she has God in her backyard and what shall she do?
Confessional Priest
Tell your grandma to wash it away with a little water.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
Fear of Embarrassment in Irish Dancing
Frank
If my mates saw me making a pure eejit out of myself at the Irish dancing, I'd be disgrace forever. ] ]. Irish dancers look like they have steel rods stuck up their arses.
[''Commenting on [[w:Irish dance|traditional Irish dancing; [w:celebrity worship|I want to be; [w:Fred Astaire|Fred Astaire]
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Confrontation Between Teacher and Students
Teacher
You little hooligan. Is this the kind of behavior you brought from ]? Is it? Well, you come on with me. I'll put the fighting out of you boy.
[[w:United States|America]
Teacher
You're a bad yank aren't you, McCourt? What are you?
Frank
], sir.
[[w:Stereotypes of Americans|They said we were cowboys and gangsters]
Boy
I was only joking sir.
Teacher
No more jokes. It's not his fault that he's a ].
[[w:yank|yank]
Boy
T'isn't sir.
Teacher
You should go down on your knees every night and give thanks to god that you're not a yank. If you were, ] would be coming to you for instruction.
[[w:Al Capone|Al Capone]
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A Dance Instructor's Frustration with McCourt
Dance instructor
Would you stop the frowning, McCourt?! You've a face on you like a pound of tripe!
[''At dancing lessons'']
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A Call for Silence in Church
Priest
Will you stop your clucking and get back to your seat?! Corpus Christi.
[''Puts a wafer on Frank's tongue'']
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Struggles with Purity in Youth
Church sermon
I say again, impurity. Impurity is so grave a sin... the ] turns her face away and weeps. She weeps when she looks down... that long, dreary vista of time... and beholds in horror the spectacle of Limerick boys... defiling themselves, polluting themselves, soiling their young bodies which are the temple of the Holy Ghost. ].
[[w:Mary, mother of Jesus|Virgin Mary; [w:Masturbating|Interfering with themselves]
Narrator
We pray to the virgin Mary to say we're sorry, because we can't stop interfering with ourselves.
Boy 1
The dong!
All 5 boys
The dong!
Boy 2
The prick!
All 5 boys
The prick!
Boy 3
The dick!
All 5 boys
The dick!
Boy 4
The langer!
All 5 boys
The langer!
Frank
The excitement!
All 5 boys
The excitement!
A boy
The excitement?
Frank
Yeah!
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Lessons on Empathy and Humility in Class
Teacher
Do I hear sneering in this class? Do I hear jeering at another's misfortune? 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. ] died shoeless! You don't see our lord hanging on the cross sporting shoes! Do you boys?
[[w:Jesus|Our lord]
Class
NO, SIR!
Teacher
What don't you see our lord doing, boys?
Class
Hanging on the cross sporting shoes!
Teacher
Hanging on the cross sporting shoes, WHAT?!
Class
Hanging on the cross sporting shoes, sir!
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
The Value of Language in Education
Father O'Halloran
America, wonderful land of the ], ], ], ], ], ], poetry boys. and the chiefs! Listen. ], ], ], ], and the man himself, the great ]. Stock your minds boys and you can move through the world. Resplendent. Clarke, define "]".
[[w:Arapaho|Arapaho; [w:Cheyenne|Cheyenne; [w:Chippewa|Chippewa; [w:Sioux|Sioux; [w:Apache|Apache; [w:Iroquois|Iroquois; [w:Kicking-Bear|Kicking Bear; [w:Rain-in-the-face|Rain-in-the-face; [w:Sitting Bull|Sitting Bull; [w:Crazy Horse|Crazy Horse; [Geronimo; Holds up his portrait with a grinning face; [wiktionary:Resplendent|resplendent]
Clarke
I think it's shining, sir.
Father O'Halloran
], but adequate. McCourt, give us a sentence with "pithy".
[[wiktionary:Pithy|Pithy]
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 see me.
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Confession and Curiosity in Everyday Life
Grandma Sheehan
] or ordinary water?
[[w:holy water|Holy water]
Frank
He didn't say, Grandma.
Grandma Sheehan
Well, go back and ask him!
Frank
Forgive me, Father, for I have sinned. It's been a minute since my last confession.
[''In confessional box'']
Confessional Priest
A minute? Are you the boy that was just here?
Frank
I am Father. My Grandma says holy water or ordinary water?
[''Confessional Priest sighs'']
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A Child's Trust in a Doctor's Care
Frank
And then 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.
[''[Frank is lying in bed recovering from fever in hospital and a doctor sitting near him has farted'']
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Conflict Over Water and Ignorance
Frank
He says ordinary water and don't go on bothering him again!
Grandma Sheehan
Bothering him"?! The ignorant old ]!
[[w:Pejorative|bogtrotter]
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A Humorous Take on Religious Rituals
Frank
In the name of the father, the son and the holy toast.
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Desire for Freedom from Education
Frank
Hoppy O'Halloran told Mam... to take me to the Christian Brothers, to say he sent me, and I was a bright boy... and ought to be going to ]... and maybe to ] even. I wish he'd mind his own business. I want to quit school forever and get a job with wages every Friday night... I want to quit school forever and get a job with wages every Friday night... and go to the pictures every Saturday like everybody else.
[[w:Secondary school|secondary school; [w:University|university]
Angela
I've come to see Brother Murray.
Frank
I don't know why we bothered. They took one look at us...
Church man
What do you want?
Angela
This is my son Frank.
[''Man immediately closes door'']
Frank
And said no.
Angela
Francis, will you listen to me? Are you listening?
Frank
I am.
Angela
You're never to let anybody slam the door in your face again. Do you hear me?
Frank
I do.
Quotes sourced from Wikiquote (© Wikiquote contributors), licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0. Modified for formatting/length.
A Chaotic Departure from Home
Angela
Frankie, will you shut the door?
Malachy
Let's go.
Frank
Right. Let's go. Malachy, the wheel's all bockety.
Malachy
Kaiser Bill marched over the hill
Frank
Shut up, will you?
Malachy
To fight the British Army They're all going to know we got the eviction.
Frank
Will you be quiet? And so Malachy, Michael, Mam, and me... moved into mom's cousin's. Laman Griffin. on the Rosbrien Road.
[''Narrating'']
Laman
Did you get the library books?
Frank
I did.
Laman
Go in the yard and see if there's something else to go on this fire.
Frank
Is that for us?
Angela
No, his lordship upstairs.
Frank
Why ask? It was the same every week- one steak, four potatoes, an onion, and a ].
[''Narrating''; [w:stout|bottle of stout]
Angela
Frankie, are you back? Will you take up the books?
Laman
Good boy, Frankie. Put them on the bed there. Angela, the chamber pot is full. Is there anything else your lordship would like? Woman's work, Angela. Woman's work and free rent.
Frank
I'll empty it.
Laman
You will? Okay, Frankie. Take it outside and rinse it under the tap. And from now on, that will be your job.
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Reflections on Departure and Identity
Frank
We must've been the only Irish family to be saying good bye to the statue of liberty rather than hello.
[''Ship is sailing out of [[w:New York City|New York City]
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A Mother's Concern for Her Son's Behavior
Griffin
Give me a ], woman. I'm telling you, that boy is a little shite!
[''To Angela''; [w:cigarette|fag]
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