The water used to wash the corpse before placement in the coffin was traditionally kept to be thrown in front of the hooves of the horse drawing the funeral carriage. Later, this developed into the symbolic act of neighbors and family throwing buckets of water as a mark of respect for the dead.
The Irish wake is a well-known funeral tradition where the family of the deceased covers all mirrors in the home. To hide the physical body from the soul, the family turns mirrors to face the wall. Some Irish superstitions say that if you look in a mirror long enough, you'll see a devil looking over your shoulder.
Angela's Ashes: A Memoir is a 1996 memoir by the Irish-American author Frank McCourt, with various anecdotes and stories of his childhood. The book details his very early childhood in Brooklyn, New York, US but focuses primarily on his life in Limerick, Ireland.
Funeral arrangements are usually made by the immediate family of the person who died. The deceased person may have left specific instructions about the funeral service they would like and where they would like to be buried or cremated. Most people respect the deceased's wishes where possible.
Irish wakes are a celebration of life - one last party to honor the deceased. The name “wake” originated because unknown diseases had plagued the countryside causing some to appear dead. As the family began to mourn, they would awaken. For this reason, the body is waked in the deceased's home for at least one night.
“Eternal rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May the souls of all the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace.” “Lord, we are grieving now for someone we loved and cherished.
Angela's Ashes. Challenged for containing "obscene and/or pornographic material."
The Controversy
Paddy Malone, a schoolmate of McCourt's who appears on the original cover in a class photograph, allegedly ripped up the book in front of the author. Some have accused him of exaggerating the family's poverty and the 'misery' of Limerick city.
At the age of 11 Frank survived typhoid fever; he subsequently contracted conjunctivitis and experienced severe eye problems for many years.
The origin of the wake probably dates back to the ancient Jewish custom of leaving the sepulchre, or burial chamber, of a recently departed relative unsealed for three days before finally closing it up, during which time family members would visit frequently in the hope of seeing signs of a return to life.
Sunglasses. When you see people in mourning or funerals on tv you will often see people wearing sunglasses sometimes to conceal the tears in their eyes. Sunglasses are appropriate especially if outdoors. Follow the same rule in regards to minimalism and modesty.
It is believed that an open window in the same room as a death bed is needed to allow the souls of family members who have already died to come to retrieve the soul of the person who is dying, to take them into the next life. Others believe that if the room is closed, the soul will be trapped and unable to move on.
Angela's Ashes takes its name from the ashes which fall from Angela's cigarettes and those in the fireplace at which she stares blankly. The entire setting of the narrative feels draped in ash—dark, decrepit, weak, lifeless, sunless.
Despite constant poverty, a criminally irresponsible husband, and the death of three of her children, Angela is a loving mother who retains her sense of humor. Angela must sacrifice her standards of dignity and class in order to provide for her children.
The title Angela's Ashes refers to McCourt's memory of his mother staring into the unlit fireplace. At age 10 he nearly died of typhoid fever. During 14 weeks in the hospital, he read voraciously while confined to his bed.
During his stay in the hospital, Frank meets a girl named Patricia Madigan, who is dying of diphtheria. The two children befriend Seamus, an old man who cleans the hospital. Patricia lends Frank a history book, in which he reads his first two lines of Shakespeare.
More Angela's Ashes Quotes. “It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while.” “You have to study and learn so that you can make up your own mind about history and everything else but you can't make up an empty mind. Stock your mind, stock your mind.
Abstracts. Commentators on Angela's Ashes: A Memoir (1996) by Frank McCourt have consistently understood its enigmatic final chapter consisting of the single word “Tis”, to represent an enthusiastic embrace of America.
Frank McCourt was born in Brooklyn, New York, to Irish immigrant parents. Unable to find work in the depths of the Depression, the McCourts returned to Ireland, where they sunk deeper into the poverty McCourt describes so movingly in his memoir, Angela's Ashes.
What does the Italian grocer mean when he says the " Irish thing " ? Alcoholism.
Angela cannot get a job in Ireland and is sent to America by her mother. Angela is quite fertile, giving birth to Frank, Malachy, the twins, Eugene and Oliver and a baby girl Margaret in just a few years.
What is the most famous Irish blessing? “May the road rise up to meet you” is one of the most famous Irish blessings.
To say Goodbye in Irish you would say “Slán leat” – literally meaning “goodbye (health) to you”. You can be less formal and just say “Slán”, bye. Or as we say in our own video … “Slán go fóill” – Bye for now.
Angela's Ashes (145 minutes) is rated R for sexual content and language.