SNIPPET: In his Pulitzer prize-winning memoir, "Angela's Ashes" (1996), Frank McCOURT (who lived in both Limerick and NY) recalls some of his experiences in Leamy's School, Limerick, circa 1940: Per Frank -- " I'm taken out of the fifth class and put into Mr. O'Halloran's sixth class with all the boys I know, Paddy Clohessy, Fintan Slattery, "The Question" Quigley, and when school is over that day I have to go back down to the statue of St. Francis of Assisi to thank him even if my legs are still weak from the typhoid and I have to sit on steps and hold on to walls... Mr. Thomas O'Halloran teaches three classes in one room, sixth, seventh, eighth. He has a head like President Roosevelt and he wears gold glasses. He wears suits, navy blue or gray, and there's a gold watch chain that hangs across his belly from pocket to pocket in his waistcoat. We call him Hoppy because he has a short leg and hops when he walks. He knows what we call him and he says, "Yes, I'm Hoppy and I'll hop on you." He carries a long stick, a pointer, and if you don't pay attention or give a stupid answer he gives three slaps on each hand or whacks you across the backs of your legs. He makes you learn everything by heart, everything, and that makes him the hardest master in school... We have to know all the important dates in Irish history. He tells us what is important and why. No master ever told us why before. If you asked why you'd be hit on the head. Hoppy doesn't call us idiots and if you ask a question he doesn't go into a rage. He's the only master who stops and says, "Do ye understand what I'm talking about? Do you want to ask a question?" It's a shock to everyone when he says, the Battle of Kinsale in sixteen nought one was the saddest moment in Irish history, a close battle with cruelty and atrocities on both sides. Cruelty on both sides? The Irish side? How could that be? All the other masters told us the Irish always fought nobly, they always fought the fair fight. He recites and makes us remember: "They went forth to battle, but they always fell, Their eyes were fixed above the sullen shields, Nobly they fought and bravely, but not well, And sank heart-wounded by a subtle spell." If they lost it was because of traitors and informers. But I want to know about these Irish atrocities. "Sir, did the Irish commit atrocities at the Battle of Kinsale?" "They did, indeed. It is recorded that they killed prisoners but they were no better nor worse than the English." Mr. O'Halloran can't lie. He's the headmaster. All these year we were told the Irish were always noble and they made brave speeches before the English hanged them. Now Hoppy O'Halloran is saying the Irish did bad things. Next thing he'll be saying the English did good things! He says, "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. It is your house of treasure and no one in the world can interfere with it. If you won the Irish Sweepstakes and bought a house that needed furniture would you fill it with bits and pieces of rubbish? Your mind is your house and if you fill it with rubbish from the cinemas it will rot in your head. You might be poor, your shoes might be broken, but your mind is a palace." He calls us one by one to the front of the room and looks at our shoes. He wants to know why they're broken or why we have no shoes at all. He tells us this is a disgrace and he's going to have a raffle to raise money so that we can have strong warm boots for the winter. He gives us books of tickets and we swarm all over Limerick for Leamy's School boot fund, first prize five pounds, five prizes of a pound each. Eleven with no boots get new boots. Malachy (Frank's brother) and I don't get any because we have shoes on our feet even if the soles are worn away and we wonder why we ran all over Limerick selling tickets so that other boys could get boots." -- Excerpt, Frank McCourt, "Angela's Ashes," (1996). Note - Frank's father was a McCourt from Antrim and his mother a Sheehan from Limerick. There is a photo of the author with classmates at the school in his book.