Private Frank McCourt, A Soldier's Story

Private Frank McCourt, A Soldier's Story

Private Frank McCourt

Born August 19, 1930 - Died July 19, 2009

Frank McCourt was born on August 19, 1930, in Brooklyn, New York, to Irish immigrant parents. During the Great Depression, his family returned to Ireland in search of work, and McCourt was raised in Limerick in extreme poverty, which would later inform his writing.

Forced to leave school at the age of thirteen, McCourt worked various jobs to survive, including delivering telegrams. At nineteen, using savings and—by his own later admission—money taken from a former employer, he returned alone to the United States. He found work at the Biltmore Hotel in New York City, determined to remake his life.

In 1951, during the Korean War, McCourt enlisted in the United States Army. Stationed in Germany, he first trained dogs and later worked as a clerk. After his discharge, McCourt leveraged his GI Bill benefits and, with no small amount of persistence, gained admission to New York University, graduating in 1957.

McCourt went on to build a long career in education, teaching English in New York City public schools while continuing his own studies. He earned a master’s degree from Brooklyn College in 1967 and became widely respected as an innovative and demanding teacher.

Only after retiring from teaching did McCourt begin writing in earnest. His memoir Angela’s Ashes, recounting his impoverished Irish childhood, won the Pulitzer Prize and brought him international recognition. He later published Tis and Teacher Man, completing an autobiographical trilogy rooted in memory, education, and survival.

Frank McCourt died on July 19, 2009. In his honor, New York City established the Frank McCourt High School of Writing, Journalism, and Literature, and in 2011, the Frank McCourt Museum and Writing Centre opened in Limerick, preserving the story of a man whose life bridged hardship, service, education, and art.

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About the Author
a.d. elliott is a wanderer, photographer, and storyteller based in Tontitown, Arkansas.

She shares her journeys at Take the Back Roads, explores new reads at Rite of Fancy, and highlights U.S. military biographies at Everyday Patriot.

You can also browse her online photography gallery at shop.takethebackroads.com.

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