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McCourt's life begins in Brooklyn. His family is dirt poor, and moves back to Ireland, where he spends the rest of his childhood with his mother's family. Angela (Watson, Cradle Will Rock, Hilary and Jackie) is the backbone of the family. But even at home, Angela's family shuns her because of her marriage to Malachy (Robert Carlyle, Plunkett and Macleane, The World is Not Enough). Malachy is from the Protestant North, while Angela's family is from the South. Also, Malachy is not able to hold a job, and frequently spends any money he earns on alcohol. Young Frank (Joe Breen) can do little but sit back and watch as his family moves around and siblings die. As he ages, Middle Frank (Ciaran Owens, Agnes Brown, The Butcher Boy) begins to realize the situation he is in. His schoolmates taunt him about his tattered clothes. His unconditional love for his father starts to waver. Here, Frank decides that he will do what he can to escape this poverty and leave for America when he is able to do so. By the time Frank reaches adolescence (Older Frank - Michael Legge), he is the man of the house, and his dreams of going to America are closer than ever.