Clinton leads tributes to McCourt at NY event

FORMER US president Bill Clinton yesterday led the tributes to best-selling author, Frank McCourt, when he was posthumously honoured in New York by leading Irish and American philanthropists.

He was speaking at a function which is part of a $1 million (€725,000) campaign for the Frank McCourt Chair in Creative Writing at University of Limerick which has already secured $500,000. The chair in Creative Writing will have a particular focus on memoirs.

Leading literary figures, including Billy Collins, Tom Cahill, Colum McCann, Rose Styron, and Pete Hamill joined Franks’ widow, Ellen, and his brothers, Malachy and Alfie for yesterday’s event in New York to celebrate the memory of the renowned Irish writer.