The McCourts of Limerick [VHS]
by Conor McCourt
![The McCourts of Limerick [VHS]](/images/The-McCourts-of-Limerick-VHS-0767012577-L.jpg)
List Price:
Our Price: $5.95
You Save: $14.00 (70%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: VHS Video
See more movie releases
Buy this VHS video movie at online store in your country
Canada
Canada
Product details
Actor: Alphie McCourt, Frank McCourt, Malachy McCourt, Mike McCourtDirector: Conor McCourt
Producer: Conor McCourt
Writer: Conor McCourt
Editor: Greg Dougherty
Edition: VHS Tape
Audio: English (Unknown)
Format: Color, NTSC
Running Time: 60 minutes
Release Date: 1999-01-26
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Publisher: New Video Group
Studio: New Video Group
VHS Movie Reviews of The McCourts of Limerick [VHS]
Movie Review: An Essential Video for Fans of the Brothers McCourt
Summary: 4 Stars
"The McCourts of Limerick" has almost been an annual visitor to PBS television affiliate WNET viewers for years now, airing around the time of Saint Patrick's Day. It was quickly produced soon after the publication of Frank McCourt's "Angela's Ashes", and regrettably, has more of the production values of a typical home family video than the succeeding "The McCourts of New York". And yet, what a "home family video" this is from documentary filmmaker Conor McCourt, who excels in recounting the harsh, brutal existence endured by his father Malachy and uncles Frank, Michael and Alphie while growing up in the impoverished lanes of Limerick, Ireland. It is replete with much of the same mordant, bittersweet, and yet, quite hilarious humor which those familiar with the McCourt family saga have come to expect, especially from distinguished writer Frank McCourt and his eldest brother, actor and writer Malachy McCourt. McCourties - diehard fans of Frank's and Malachy's prose - will regard this memorable video as yet another essential one to be added to their collections of Brothers McCourt memorabilia.
Summary of The McCourts of Limerick [VHS]
In keeping with the enduring spirit of Frank McCourt's phenomenal bestseller Angela's Ashes, this hour-long documentary is literally a family affair. It's really a home movie, directed by Conor McCourt, the son of Frank's brother Malachy, that has been made public for the many fans of Frank's book and Malachy's own acclaimed memoir, A Monk Swimming. That the film has an amateurish quality in both sound and image only enhances its value as a personal document of primary importance to the McCourts themselves but equally interesting for anyone with a fondness for all things Irish. Through interviews and personal anecdotes, we quickly learn that the four surviving McCourt brothers (Frank, Malachy, Michael, and Alphonsus) are a stalwart bunch, having weathered a family history that is quintessentially Irish. Embittered by an uncaring Catholic church and by the absence of their irresponsible father, they lived with their hardy but chronically depressed mother with an equal blend of abject misery and joyful adventure. (At one point, a tearful Frank later describes this lifestyle as "suffering with good humor" when recalling the indomitable vitality of his neighbors in the town of Limerick.) They were "laners," so-called for their residence on the poverty-stricken lanes of Limerick, where your next meal was never guaranteed and the women known as "shawlies" (so named for their dark shawls) were forced to plead to justify their meager assistance payments.Three of the seven McCourt children died while still very young--"sheer ignorance" being the cause of their preventable illness, according to Frank. Angela never fully recovered from the loss, and her husband's selfish disappearance into a life of perpetual youth left her to persevere as best she could. But The McCourts of Limerick is far from being a chronicle of sadness; indeed, humor is abundant throughout the film, and each of the brothers has a gift for telling wonderful stories from their eventful pasts. What emerges from this heartfelt, highly personal portrait is a sense of lives well lived, of deep, abiding love throughout the hardship and pain, and a rich appreciation for the kinds of people who, as Frank observes, were able to make "poetic statements about their plight." --Jeff Shannon
Movies most talked about in Video Genres
![The Story of Jeremiah [VHS] Image](/images/The-Story-of-Jeremiah-VHS-0001436805-X.jpg){kind=small}
The Story of Jeremiah [VHS]Vision Video; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Wresting With God [VHS] Image](/images/noimg.gif)
Wresting With God [VHS]by Vision Video
Vision Video; Published: 1990-10-01; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
Study Bible Video with Workbook [VHS]Spring Arbor Distributors; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS] Image](/images/Tempo-Childrens-TV-Favourites-Video-VHS-0001387561-X.jpg)
Tempo:Childrens TV Favourites Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $8.77
Price in other shops:
Tempo.Herbs:Parseley'Sb/ Party Video [VHS]HarperCollins Audio; VHS Tape; VHS Video
![Strike the Original Match [VHS] Image](/images/Strike-the-Original-Match-VHS-0001374079-X.jpg){kind=small}
Strike the Original Match [VHS]New Liberty Films; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
![Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS] Image](/images/Medjugorje-The-Miracles-and-the-Message-VHS-0001373293-X.jpg)
Medjugorje The Miracles and the Message [VHS]JPN Film Production; Release date: 1995-12-15; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Best price: $29.99
Mayo Clinic Echocardiography Review Course for Boards and Recertification DVD 2008by Mayo
DVD
Price in other shops:
Pediatric Diagnostic Imaging DVD: Single Userby Oakstone
DVD
Price in other shops:
Cost Accounting [VHS]by Charles T. Horngren, George Foster, Srikant M. Datar, Howard Teall
Pearson Canada, Toronto; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Similar Video, DVDs, Audio CDs
Teacher Man: A Memoirby Frank McCourt
Simon & Schuster Audio; Published: 2005-11-15; Audio CD; Book
Best price: $2.50
Price in other shops:
60 Minutes - Frank McCourt (September 19, 1999)Release date: 2006-06-15; DVD
Best price: $17.95
Singing My Him Songby Malachy McCourt
Harper Perennial; Published: 2001-10-16; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.48
Price in other shops:
A Long Stone's Throwby Alphie McCourt
Sterling & Ross Publishers; Published: 2008-11-04; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $11.76
Price in other shops:
Through Irish Eyes: A Visual Companion to Angela McCourt's Irelandby Malachy McCourt
Smithmark Pub; Published: 1998-10; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $3.27
Price in other shops:
![The McCourts of New York [VHS] Image](/images/The-McCourts-of-New-York-VHS-B00000JS65-X.jpg){kind=small}
The McCourts of New York [VHS]Fox Lorber; Release date: 1999-09-28; VHS Tape; VHS Video
Price in other shops:
The McCourts of New YorkRelease date: 1999-10-12; DVD
Best price: $34.94
Angela's AshesWatson; Release date: 2000-07-18; DVD
Best price: $59.99
A Monk Swimming A Memoirby Malachy McCourt
Hyperion; Published: 1999-06-02; Paperback; Book
Best price: $1.60
Price in other shops:
Teacher Man: A Memoirby Frank McCourt
Scribner; Published: 2005-11-15; Hardcover; Book
Best price: $2.03
Price in other shops: