Malachy McCourt

Malachy Gerard McCourt was born on September 20, 1931 in the bustling borough of Brooklyn, New York City, to Irish immigrants Angela Sheehan and Malachy Gerard McCourt Sr. He was the youngest of seven children and spent his formative years after the family’s return to Limerick, Ireland, where he absorbed the rich storytelling tradition that would later inform his own memoirs. After completing his schooling, McCourt returned to the United States in 1952, carrying with him a deep love for Irish culture and a determination to forge a career in the performing arts. His early adult life included marrying Linda Wachsman in 1958, with whom he fathered two children, Siobhán and Malachy III, before their divorce in 1961. In 1965 he married Diana Galin, adding two more sons, Conor and Cormac, to his growing family and a step‑daughter, Nina, to his household.

McCourt’s professional journey spanned more than six decades, beginning on stage and soon expanding to television, film, and radio. He appeared in notable movies such as The Molly Maguires (1970), Brewster’s Millions (1985), and Gods and Generals (2003), and became a familiar face on New York‑based soap operas, including Another World and All My Children, where he delighted audiences as Father Clarence. In addition to acting, he released a spoken‑word vinyl album in 1970 and hosted a talk show on WMCA during the 1970s, later becoming a regular guest on WBAI political programs. As an author, McCourt penned three memoirs—A Monk Swimming, Death Need Not Be Fatal, and Singing My Him Song—that chronicled his transatlantic life, and he compiled works such as Voices of Ireland. Politically active, he ran as the Green Party candidate for Governor of New York in 2006, advocating for peace and education reform. Until his death on March 11, 2024, at Lenox Hill Hospital, McCourt remained a vibrant figure in both the artistic and civic spheres, remembered for his humor, resilience, and enduring commitment to the Irish‑American experience.