When Angela grows up, she goes to the USA. There she meets Malachy McCourt at a party given by Dan MacAdorey and his wife, Minnie, on Classon Avenue in Brooklyn. Malachy likes Angela and she likes him. Malachy is in Brooklyn because he had been in jail for hijacking a truck. A day in March, Malachy marries Angela. Six moths later a boy is born and they name him Francis. He is to become the main character in the book under the name Frankie. Malachy has a growing drink problem and is out of work.

A year later another child is born. Angela names him Malachy after his father. The years go by, and Angela has two new babies. Malachy gets a job, but he loses the job after only three weeks. The wages he gets he drinks up. He comes home drunk and sings Irish songs late at night. He tells Frankie stories about the legendary Irish hero Cuchulain. Frankie loves these storie

The rain drives him into the Franciscan church were St. Francis is standing. Frankie tells him that he is finished with him. A priest comes by and asks him if he wants to go to confession, but Frankie says that his sins are too big. Then Frankie tells St. Francis about his brothers and sister who are dead, his father, Theresa, why they couldn't hang Goering, the Christian brothers who closed the door in his face, his bad eyes and the fact that he hit his mother. The priest tells him that God forgives him and he must forgive himself. He also convinces Frankie that Theresa is in heaven and not in hell.

Some days later, Frankie is walking along O`Connell Avenue and Ballinacurra where people have their bread and milk delivered early to their doorsteps. He is thinking about what The Abbot said, that he can't be feeding Frankie forever. This makes Frankie wonder. It is no harm to borrow a loaf of bread or a bottle of milk if he gives it back when he gets the job at the Post Office. He thinks he is not stealing, but borrowing, and that is not a mortal sin.. When Frankie comes home with bread and milk, the Abbot does not ask where he has got it, because he was dropped on his head when he was a baby, and that knocks the curiosity out of you.

The family lacks money all the time. They have to manage on the dolemoney, but Frankie's father spends most of it on drink, and his mother Angela has to go begging at the St. Vincent de Paul Society and ask for credit at Kathleen O'Connell's. Still, Frankie loves his father and is glad to have him to himself in the mornings.

Angela always feels sorry for the poor women with children who are begging for money. But because she doesn't have any money, she invites them home for a bit of fried bread, and if it is a bad nights she'll let them sleep by the fire on a pile of rags. Michael is the same kind. He brings home dogs and old drunk men. They all agree not to come home with any more old men and women with children or dogs because of all the lice they are getting. The lice are everywhere, in the bed in the clothes and all over little Alphie.

When they come back, Angela is in a terrible state, and there is not enough coal to cook dinner. Frank and his brother Malachy have to go down to Dock Road to see if there is any coal or turf lying around from the lorries. They are wandering around trying to fill their coal bag when Pa Keating comes along. He takes Frank and his brother to South's pub and orders a pint for himself and lemonade for Frank and Malachy. Then he asks the bartender if there is any chance of getting some few lumps of coal. The bartender leads Frank and his brother to a coalhole under the stairs and tells them to take what they can carry.

The boys from Frankie's class at Leamy's School are going on a cycling trip to Killaloe. They want Frankie to come to. He has learnt to cycle on Laman Griffin's bicycle. When he asks Laman to borrow his bike, the answer is that he has to earn it. Laman says that the bike is Frankie's any time as long as he empties his chamber pot, runs to the shop to buy him cigarettes, goes to the library for books and does whatever else he wants.

Frankie, Malachy and Billy Campbell start a footballteam. They need uniforms, so Frankie cuts seven red hearts off his mothers red flapper dress. They stick the hearts on their chests - so they have uniforms.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 9333
Approximate Pages = 37 (250 words per page double spaced)