THE ASHES of the Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Frank McCourt, are expected to be scattered over the River Shannon in his native city in accordance with his wishes.
The McCourt family are meeting today to discuss the final arrangements for the writer’s funeral which is expected to take place in New York.
It is expected that Limerick, the city that McCourt captured so vividly in his memoir Angela's Ashes, will be represented at the funeral by the mayor Kevin Kiely and an official from Limerick City Council.
In an interview with the Limerick Leaderin November 2007, McCourt's thoughts turned to mortality and he said he did not want funeral services or memorials when he died.
“Let them scatter my ashes over the Shannon and pollute the river,” he said.
Mr Kiely said he was deeply saddened to learn of the death of one of Limerick’s most successful and talented sons. “Limerick is very proud of, and will never forget, Frank McCourt.”
Minister for Arts Martin Cullen said the writer was an inspirational character.
“As a teacher in New York he instilled and encouraged a love of literature and creative writing in his students and as a writer himself, he was a master storyteller,” Mr Cullen said.
The Arts Council described McCourt as “an outstanding and talented writer”.
Its director Mary Cloake said he had made a unique contribution to Irish literature and its popularisation, despite being published relatively late in life.
"Unquestionably, Angela's Ashes, his most famous work, is a stunning, affecting piece of literature that made a deep and lasting impact on its readers," she said.
“Mr McCourt’s lyrical and crackling prose, coupled with his innovative approach to dialogue, exerted a significant influence on the memoir as a genre, and on literary writing more generally.”
Fine Gael’s arts spokeswoman Olivia Mitchell said McCourt’s life and work would continue to inspire people worldwide.
“Frank McCourt was an author of rare ability whose vivid prose and creative ability captivated millions.
“However, it is his life, and not just his literary work, that will rightly be celebrated,” she said.
“His Pulitzer Prize winning masterpiece, Angela’s Ashes, shone a light into the dark recesses of Ireland’s past but it was Frank’s ability to overcome such adversity that will continue to inspire thousands all around the world,” she added.
Irish Voicepublisher Niall O'Dowd said McCourt was a "quiet, unassuming guy despite becoming a worldwide celebrity" and that he had helped many good causes and dozens of young writers.
