it's an old medieval abbey outside limerick. she died in--she died in new york and we had her cremated and we took her back there. she used to say, 'i want tobe buried with my own people in mongrie.' and -i said--she was a large woman as you saw from that earlier picture, i said, 'do you know the cost of transporting your body to ireland?' sowe cremated her anyway and took her back and five or six days of grief and celebration. c-span: when did she die? >> guest: 1981. december of '81. oh, yeah. oh, my--that's the can of ashes that we were sprinkling. it was a very strange occasion because there were--malachy was there and our wives were there and a group of friends. and i think we'd all drifted away fro--i--what i remember mostly a--abo--was our awkwardness at what--i mean, usually we're not caught short for words. but --it hink malachy and i felt a bit awkward at--on this occasion because we simply didn't know what to do. usually you have a priest taking care of it, but i j--there was a pause, we sprinkled the ashes, then i'm

they went from new york to the slums of limerick. his book was based on those grim memories of poverty and watching his brothers died. >> six months after oliver went, there was eugene, cold and the bed beside us. the doctor came and said that child died of pneumonia. why was he not in the hospital long ago? quite see made his living as a schoolteacher and his success -- >> he made his living as a schoolteacher and his success came late in life. but not everyone was pleased. in limerick, there were those who felt he had blackened the name of his hometown and his mother described his recollections at one point as a pack of lies. >> her generation and my generation -- we did not want to talk about what happened. you did not want to brag about growing up in a slum. >> his legacy did help to inspire a torrent of memoirs of miserable childhoods, but few were as miserable as his. -- but few are as memorable as his. >> earlier, we spoke to a friend of his. he said the irish-american had proved his critics wrong. >> anyone who sells 4 millio

they went from n york to the slums of limerick.les ashes" were bas on thoseemories of povertand watching hisrothers died. >>e walked on that november morning. he was called in the bed beside is. the doctorame and sa that the chi died of pneonia and should he been in the hospital. >> he madeis living as a schoolacher in the united states. litery success came later in life. the book was also turned into a moe. [crying] >> but not everyoneas plsed. some felt that he blackenedhe name of his hotown. his mother even described his recollections as a pk of lies at one point. >> we did not wantto go around talking about what we came from. we did not want to brag out growing up in a miserable slump. >> his legacy did helped to inspire a torrent of memoirs of miserable childhoods. few were as well written as his. it may have been grim, but he told wh wit, warrants, and yle. >>> queen elizabethad revise the ancient tradition of sw cnting on the river. >>his is an unusual and ancient royal ceremony dating back to the 12 century. the sns a taken

limerick, an area that has enormous extremes between wealth and grinding poverty even to this day, so you were beginning to see the advent of the celts a tiger and people did not want to be reminded but so many deepa had similar backgrounds -- people died of tb in many families. the fact that he put one episode on top of another, he was accused of some extent of overdoing it, but then when it was so well received internationally and the film enjoyed such success, he went into a second stage. his subsequent books, he tended to move away from that, almost a self consciousness of perhaps having gone over the top with the first book. he became more associated with the kind of quirky sideways look at life that he actually made his reputation with. the immediate reinforce the reputation of ireland as a literary place. irish writers are known to be very good adverse. >> superb style but he was a teacher of creative writing in new york for many years. he and his brother are both very, very articulate and entertaining storyteller is and always were. this is the first time, having been a lectur

he went back to limerick with ed bradley of "60 minutes." >> we were always on the street when doctorsame out. we didn't want to go home. and then the mothers would start calling from the doors down here, michael, paddy, mary, come in. come in for your tea. come in for your duck egg. come in for your toast. and then start bragging up and down the lane of what they were serving. and everybody had tea and bread, but they'd start making up sausages. nobody had sausages at that time anyway. and we didn't want to go in because life on this street was so exciting. >> frank mccourt was 78. when morning comes in the middle of the night, [ rooster crow ] it affects your entire day. to get a good night's sleep, try 2-layer ambien cr. the first layer dissolves quickly... to help you fall asleep. and unlike other sleep aids, a second dissolves slowly to help you stay asleep. when taking ambien cr, don't drive or operate machinery. sleepwalking, and eating or driving... while not fully awake with memory loss for the event... as well as abnormal behaviors... such as being more outgoing or aggressive

>> in limerick. >> reporter: you and your brothers went back after the publication of the book. >> myther mike came in from san francisco. we had a very powerful -- we had a reunion in limmerick. there's a book store and there was a big sign in there, 600 people showed up and i signed the book. >> the write in the voice of a child. did it take a long time to -- >> new york the voice came one day. it was miraculous. the first few pages are written in the past tense. one day i wrote i'm in a playground in brooklyn. then the rest of the book came like that and i felt very comfortable. i didn't use punk situation. >> you also don't revi it the way adults usually write about their childhood. >> no, i don't want to do that. i think i learned that from teaching. just tell the story and get it over with. >> people said it was an act of literary restraint to wait until your 60s to write this book. >> no, even 15 years ago i think i was still in anger over what happened. when you get in a front of teen-agers in new york, you can't indulge of self-pity, that's been -- >> there's a lot of humor d

but you can't say that in limerick for feayou might be laughed at. >> reporter: you must ve been vy angry for quite a while after this experienc losing so many members of ur family, you being humiliated over and or again. were you angry? >> well, when arrived in america at 19, i was time bomb and i continuedike that for a lo time. couldn't engage in any civilized discussn ofnything becausif anybody opposed me, i would simply erupt. and i was alws getting into tuble over this. and it took me yrs-- and i thnk it was in the classroom a a higschool teacher-- i finally became a civiled human ing that had to sten to other ints of view and present mine in a reasonable wy. i stl get irritable. >> waer: mccourt published a new book in 99, and spoke with the newshour's terence ith. >> repter: we took frank mccourt back the old stuyvessant high schooln new yo, where he taught english for 18 years, to talk aut his new boo now, "angela's ash" ended as the younfrank mccourt arrived in the united states, and t last word of e book was "'s." >> s. do yoremember your first impressions when you cameo th cou

but you can't say that in limerick for fear you might be laughed at. >> reporter: you must have been very angry for quite a while after this experience, losing so many members of your family, you being humiliated over and over again. were you angry? >> well, when i arrived in america at 19, i was a time bomb and i continued like that for a long time. i couldn't engage in any civilized discussion of anything because if anybody opposed me, i would simply erupt. and i was always getting into trouble over this. and it took me years-- and i think it was in the classroom as a high school teacher-- i finally became a civilized human being that had to listen to other points of view and present mine in a reasonable way. i still get irritable. >> warner: mccourt published a new book in 1999, and spoke with the newshour's terence smith. >> reporter: we took frank mccourt back to the old stuyvessant high school in new york, where he taught english for 18 years, to talk about his new book. now, "angela's ashes" ended as the young frank mccourt arrived in the united states, and the last word of th

>> the in limerick.>>orter: you d ur he went ck aerhe publioofhe book. >>y brotr mike came in fm safrcisc we had aeryowful -- we had unn in mmerick. there's a tore and t wabig signer 600 people showed a i signed the >> the w ith vce of child. it take a ng time to -- >> n york the voice camene y. was miracs. firstew ges are written in tast tense. e dai wte i i a playground in bryn then t rof t book came li tand i fet ve comfortable. i dnse puntuation. >>ou also don't vi ihe y ults usuallywritebo thildhood. >>o, i d't want to do that. i thini lenethrom teaching st telthorand get it over wh. >> peoe saidt wasn acof litera resnto itntil your 6ste this book. >> no, en5 yrs a thin i was stilln anger ove whahaed. when you getn front of teengen new rkyo can't induf lfity, that'seen -- 's lot o hum deit -- >>hat's someinyou better devteacng, yo better be our fe ando uron rickl bit every moing. >> wt est. patay me to yotoda >> n much. we had a gd ing goin in anciiran heame along duined whe t and come buttele it's time to wthe lk regier t a lit the night dot ♪ snny

steve: the lad from limerick. alisyn: who hasn't read that book?d his offbroadway play too. where did the tarp funds go? what are they using it for? steve: the good news is that congress has got this inspector general, and his name is neil barofski. he's the guy who kind of has been keeping an eye on things. here's one of the things he suggested. he says that the treasury department should require more information from the banks and yet the treasury department has refused to get it. here's what we know. they took the $200 billion, these 600 banks, mainly ten big ones, they bought other banks, they invested the money, and they did other things with it and they're not very transparent with it. alisyn: remember this was supposed to grease the wheels of lending so credit could start churning? it's very interesting because the treasury department has rejected the idea that you could ever really know exactly where our dollars went with the banks. this is the analogy they used. money given to a bank is like water poured into an ocean. really? we have to k