Malachy McCourt, Author Who Played Bartender in ‘Ryan’s Hope,’ Dies at 92
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Malachy McCourt, an Irish American author who also appeared on television as the bartender in “Ryan’s Hope,” died in Manhattan on March 11. He was 92.
The New York Times received confirmation of his death from his wife, Diana McCourt. He told the newspaper last year that he dealt with a myriad of ailments, including a heart condition, multiple forms of cancer and muscular degeneration.
McCourt appeared in soap operas including “Ryan’s Hope,” in which had a recurring role as a bartender. The show, which ran from 1975 to 1989, focused on an Irish American family living in Washington Heights. Some of McCourt’s film credits include “Reversal of Fortune,” “Bonfire of Vanities,” “The Other Guys,” “After.Life,” “The Devil’s Own” and “Q: The Winged Serpent.”
McCourt was born in Brooklyn to Irish parents on Sept. 20, 1931. His parents relocated the family to Limerick, Ireland, where he spent formative years alongside his older brother, Frank. He returned to New York in 1952 at the age of 20.
McCourt penned the memoir “A Monk Swimming,” released in 1998, which chronicles his life in New York after leaving Limerick. His brother, Frank McCourt, who died in 2009, is known for writing the 1996 Pulitzer Prize-winning memoir “Angela’s Ashes,” which also recalls the family’s experiences, primarily taking place in Limerick. McCourt and his brother wrote and performed the play “A Couple of Blaguards,” which also explores life in their parents’ native country.
McCourt also appeared in commercials and hosted radio and television shows. His pursuits expanded beyond the world of media as well; in 2006, he ran for governor of New York representing the Green Party, losing to Eliot Spitzer. He is also known for opening the bar Malachy’s in Manhattan’s Upper East Side, which was credited as the borough’s first singles bar.
McCourt married and divorced Linda Wachsman and later married Diana Huchthausen Galin in 1965. He is survived by a daughter and son from his first marriage, Siobhan McCourt and Malachy, Jr; and two sons from his second marriage, Conor and Cormac, in addition to his step-daughter Nina Galin. He is also survived by nine grandchildren and one great-grandchild. With his wife, McCourt lived in the same apartment in New York for 59 years.
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