This amazing memoir of the youngest McCourt begins between the borders of Canada and the United States. Because of a technical hitch in immigration law, Alphie, an Irishman in town to play a rugby match with his mates, finds himself shanghaied in no man's land. This is not the first time, or the last, Alphie will be on unsteady ground.

Limerick, Ireland is where Alphie McCourt was born. The departure of his father and the misery he leaves behind has far-reaching effects on the family. Alphie’s loneliness grows deeper and wider as each of his older brothers (Frank, Malachy and Michael) leave for America. In the end, only he and his mother are left. After Confession, Communion and Confirmation, Alphie becomes a “Soldier in Christ.” Piping, hurling, Gaelic football and rugby football, plus an early introduction to pint of stout, all bring him to the point of departure. The year is 1959; it is time to leave for New York.

Alphie's adolescence in New York is marked by aimlessness, shiftlessness and drinking far too much; he stays up all night and sleeps half the day. He works in the bar and restaurant business, which is a great escape as there is plenty of camaraderie and a drinking buddy is always easy to find. An Irish law student, Jim Molloy suggests that Alphie return to Ireland and study law. For three years, he tries his luck at University College, Dublin. His failure is due, partly to his lack of connections and partly to his own indolence. After a brief return to New York, Alphie leaves for California, where he discovers marijuana, a forbidden relationship with a woman, and Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

Alphie eventually returns to his immigrant roots in New York City. He reencounters the beautiful Lynn, an Upper East Side woman whom he never forgot. They move to the Upper West Side and in 1975, enlist a priest and rabbi for a raucous wedding. One year later, their daughter Allison is born; her difficulties will not be obvious for some years. Success followed by hardship in business ventures color several of the following years. Then, one night at the beginning of the First Gulf War, Alphie has an epiphany. On Route 80 in New Jersey, drunk, full of despair and driving through the snow, Alphie comes to his senses, pulls over, and goes to sleep. That will be his last night of drinking.

He now rises in the morning, at time when he used to go to bed. With dawn still lingering, he monitors the Empire State Building, in all its moods and colors. He has finally landed on firm ground. He is home.

About the Author
The youngest of the McCourt brothers, after Frank, Malachy and Michael, Alphie McCourt grew up in Limerick, Ireland and immigrated to the U.S. in 1959. He has lived in Canada, Dublin, Ireland, and in California and has spent a good part of his life in the restaurant and bar business. His pieces have appeared in The Washington Post, The Villager (New York), The Limerick Leader and in Icons Magazine.