---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: There were a number of houses. When we…"
description: "\"There were a number of houses. When we first arrived in Limerick, it was a one-room affair with most of it taken up with a bed.\" — Frank McCourt"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/frank-mccourt-2576_affair_there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-fi_2183040.png"
---

#  There were a number of houses. When we first arrived in…

![“There were a number of houses. When we first arrived in Limerick, it was a one-room affair with most of it taken up with a bed.” quote by Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/frank-mccourt-2576_affair_there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-fi_2183040.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/frank-mccourt-2576_affair_there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-fi_2183040.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/frank-mccourt-2576_affair_there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-fi_2183040.png)

> “There were a number of houses. When we first arrived in Limerick, it was a one-room affair with most of it taken up with a bed.”

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Describes the cramped, modest living conditions encountered upon arriving in Limerick, highlighting poverty and adaptation.

**In simple terms:** Small, cramped rooms in a new town.

Key Takeaway

Recognize and adapt to limited resources.

Themes

poverty adaptation home immigration

Mood

reflective somber

Type

narrative memoir

When to use this quote

- moving to a new city
- first night in a new home
- budget housing
- adjusting to minimal space

Key Concepts

socioeconomic hardship resilience settlement

Questions to Reflect On

- How does limited space shape daily routines?
- What comforts can you create in a small room?

A Different Perspective

May overlook emotional impact of poverty on residents.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Affair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/) [Limerick](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/limerick/)

## Related quotes

> [“I'm in New York, land of the free and home of the brave, but I'm supposed to behave as if I were in Limerick…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-m-in-new-york-land-of-the-free-and-home-of-the-brave-but-i-m/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [The part of Limerick we lived in is Georgian, you know, those Georgian houses. You see them in pictures of Dublin.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/the-part-of-limerick-we-lived-in-is-georgian-you-know-those-georgian/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [I think the first time I really heard poetry was in the schoolyard. Just the little limericks that kids say when they're jumping rope…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jill-scott/i-think-the-first-time-i-really-heard-poetry-was-in-the-schoolyard/)

[Jill Scott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jill-scott/)

> [I'm an icon. I'm the Queen of Limerick.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/dolores-o-riordan/i-m-an-icon-i-m-the-queen-of-limerick/)

[Dolores O'Riordan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/dolores-o-riordan/)

> [“Blessed be, it's finally Spring. In joy and delight the birds sing, Ravished upon the entire earth, The new rebirth, Helas, the joy it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-claudia-antunes/blessed-be-it-s-finally-spring-in-joy-and-delight-the-birds-sing/)

[Ana Claudia Antunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-claudia-antunes/)

> [“The coveted Concept of Deemed, Is certainly not easy as it ever seemed Because it is all mandatory to Accept, No Exceptions and no…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyavrat-thareja/the-coveted-concept-of-deemed-is-certainly-not-easy-as-it-ever-seemed/)

[Priyavrat Thareja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyavrat-thareja/)

> [Since this war began our sympathy has gone out to all the suffering people who have been dragged into it. Further hundreds of millions…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/eamon-de-valera/since-this-war-began-our-sympathy-has-gone-out-to-all-the-suffering/)

[Eamon de Valera](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/eamon-de-valera/)

> [A dozen more questions occurred to me. Not to mention twenty-two possible solutions to each one, sixteen resulting hypotheses and counter-theorems, eight abstract speculations,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jonathan-stroud/a-dozen-more-questions-occurred-to-me-not-to-mention-twenty-two/)

[Jonathan Stroud](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jonathan-stroud/)

> [I was a cub reporter on a local newspaper in Limerick city, and I used to cover the district court meetings. All of life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-barry/i-was-a-cub-reporter-on-a-local-newspaper-in-limerick-city-and-i-used/)

[Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-barry/)

> [“Although life is hard in pace Lose not thy calm and grace. If thee are not tender Vow not to surrender Eternity lies right…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ana-claudia-antunes/although-life-is-hard-in-pace-lose-not-thy-calm-and-grace-if-thee-are/)

[Ana Claudia Antunes](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ana-claudia-antunes/)

> [If Jonah had gone to Yale...Instead of the gut of a whale...He'd have a diploma...A better aroma...And a nice little condo in Vale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mj-mcguire/if-jonah-had-gone-to-yale-instead-of-the-gut-of-a-whale-he-d-have-a/)

[MJ McGuire](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mj-mcguire/)

> [“The naive ambition when unexpressed, is like a confession regressed, as of a Failure in 'Failure Thwarting' awaiting success to come out of waiting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyavrat-thareja/the-naive-ambition-when-unexpressed-is-like-a-confession-regressed-as/)

[Priyavrat Thareja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyavrat-thareja/)

> [I think the language as spoken in Limerick and Cork has not really been written; 'City of Bohane' is a combination of the two.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-barry/i-think-the-language-as-spoken-in-limerick-and-cork-has-not-really/)

[Kevin Barry](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-barry/)

> [Most women loathe limericks, for the same reason that calves hate cookbooks.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gershon-legman/most-women-loathe-limericks-for-the-same-reason-that-calves-hate/)

Gershon Legman

> [“There was once an old but clever donkey, who never liked the sting of any bee, Nor for all the Slung mud, did he…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyavrat-thareja/there-was-once-an-old-but-clever-donkey-who-never-liked-the-sting-of/)

[Priyavrat Thareja](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyavrat-thareja/)

## More by Frank McCourt

> [I'm not one of those James Joyce intellectuals who can stand back and look at the whole edifice... It was a slow process for…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-m-not-one-of-those-james-joyce-intellectuals-who-can-stand-back-and/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [I admire certain priests and nuns who go off on their own and do God's work on their own, who help in the ghettos,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-admire-certain-priests-and-nuns-who-go-off-on-their-own-and-do-god/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [When I act tough they listen politely till the spasm passes. They know.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/when-i-act-tough-they-listen-politely-till-the-spasm-passes-they-know/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [Just luxuriate in a certain memory, and the details will come. It's like a magnet attracting steel filings.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/just-luxuriate-in-a-certain-memory-and-the-details-will-come-it-s/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [Sing your song. Dance your dance. Tell your tale.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/sing-your-song-dance-your-dance-tell-your-tale/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [They all went into the bar business. Which was a mistake, because they began to sip at the merchandise and it set them back,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/they-all-went-into-the-bar-business-which-was-a-mistake-because-they/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [My childhood here... was very limited. So it was a long, long time before I actually went out to Brooklyn.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/my-childhood-here-was-very-limited-so-it-was-a-long-long-time-before/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [We never really had any kind of a Christmas. This is one part where my memory fails me completely.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/we-never-really-had-any-kind-of-a-christmas-this-is-one-part-where-my/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [A lot of people say writers start losing their powers after 60 or 65. But I look at the best-seller list and see a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/a-lot-of-people-say-writers-start-losing-their-powers-after-60-or-65/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [“When the dark clouds flutter like bats in my head I wish I could open a window and release them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/when-the-dark-clouds-flutter-like-bats-in-my-head-i-wish-i-could-open/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [Shakespeare is like mashed potatoes, you can never get enough of him.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/shakespeare-is-like-mashed-potatoes-you-can-never-get-enough-of-him/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [I just have to proceed as usual. No matter what happens, nothing helps with the writing of the next book.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-just-have-to-proceed-as-usual-no-matter-what-happens-nothing-helps/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [Worse than the ordinary, miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/worse-than-the-ordinary-miserable-childhood-is-the-miserable-irish/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [It's not enough to be American. You always have to be something else, Irish-American, German-American, and you'd wonder how they'd get along if someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/it-s-not-enough-to-be-american-you-always-have-to-be-something-else/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

> [I had to get rid of any idea of hell or any idea of the afterlife. That's what held me, kept me down. So…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/i-had-to-get-rid-of-any-idea-of-hell-or-any-idea-of-the-afterlife/)

[Frank McCourt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

[Explore all 159 Frank McCourt quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/)

## More Affair quotes

> [Histories never conclude; they just pause their prose. Their stories are, if they are truthful, untidy affairs, resistant to windings-up and sortings-out. They beat…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/simon-schama/histories-never-conclude-they-just-pause-their-prose-their-stories/)

[Simon Schama](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/simon-schama/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [Our guiding principle was that design is neither an intellectual nor a material affair, but simply an integral part of the stuff of life,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/walter-gropius/our-guiding-principle-was-that-design-is-neither-an-intellectual-nor/)

[Walter Gropius](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/walter-gropius/)

> [I wonder if it's possible to have a love affair that lasts forever.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andy-warhol/i-wonder-if-it-s-possible-to-have-a-love-affair-that-lasts-forever/)

[Andy Warhol](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andy-warhol/)

> [For a young man to start his career with a love affair with an older woman was quite de rigueur ... Of course, it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vita-sackville-west/for-a-young-man-to-start-his-career-with-a-love-affair-with-an-older/)

[Vita Sackville-West](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vita-sackville-west/)

> [As long as the state permits itself to interfere in the affairs of literature, literature has the right to interfere with the affairs of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/joseph-brodsky/as-long-as-the-state-permits-itself-to-interfere-in-the-affairs-of/)

[Joseph Brodsky](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/joseph-brodsky/)

> [Love is mainly an affair of short spasms. If these spasms disappoint us, love dies. It is very seldom that it weathers the experience…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jean-cocteau/love-is-mainly-an-affair-of-short-spasms-if-these-spasms-disappoint/)

[Jean Cocteau](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jean-cocteau/)

> [The Fundamental Principle that governs - or ought to govern -human affairs if we wish to avoid misunderstandings, conflicts, or pointless utopias, is negotiation.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/umberto-eco/the-fundamental-principle-that-governs-or-ought-to-govern-human/)

[Umberto Eco](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/umberto-eco/)

> [My hope does not rest in the affairs of this world. It rests in Christ who is coming again.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/billy-graham/my-hope-does-not-rest-in-the-affairs-of-this-world-it-rests-in-christ/)

[Billy Graham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/billy-graham/)

> [In 1953, the United States played a significant role in orchestrating the overthrow of Iran's popular prime minister, Mohammed Mossadegh. The Eisenhower administration believed…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/madeleine-albright/in-1953-the-united-states-played-a-significant-role-in-orchestrating/)

[Madeleine Albright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/madeleine-albright/)

> [Not everyone likes the stable, gradual rise of our country. There are some who are using the democratic ideology to interfere in our internal…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/vladimir-putin/not-everyone-likes-the-stable-gradual-rise-of-our-country-there-are/)

[Vladimir Putin](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/vladimir-putin/)

> [The archives recall not one single incriminating incident, not one drunken escapade, not one reported affair, not one spat with a team-mate or reporter…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-atherton/the-archives-recall-not-one-single-incriminating-incident-not-one/)

Michael Atherton

> [“I ripped the sketch from the wall. "Liar." Edward looked more ravaged than usual. "That is a terrible word, coming from you." "Yup." "And…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/melissa-jensen/i-ripped-the-sketch-from-the-wall-liar-edward-looked-more-ravaged/)

[Melissa Jensen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/melissa-jensen/)

> [For some people, a one-night stand doesn't make any difference in a seven-year love affair. I don't believe the degree of betrayal is always…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/esther-perel/for-some-people-a-one-night-stand-doesn-t-make-any-difference-in-a/)

[Esther Perel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/esther-perel/)

> [And what is literature, Rabo," he said, "but an insider's newsletter about affairs relating to molecules, of no importance to anything in the universe…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kurt-vonnegut/and-what-is-literature-rabo-he-said-but-an-insider-s-newsletter-about/)

[Kurt Vonnegut](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kurt-vonnegut/)

[Browse all 2,218 Affair quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/affair/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "There were a number of houses. When we first arrived in Limerick, it was a one-room affair with most of it taken up with a bed.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Frank McCourt"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-first-arrived-in-limerick-it/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Affair"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-first-arrived-in-limerick-it/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/frank-mccourt-2576_affair_there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-fi_2183040.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/frank-mccourt-2576_affair_there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-fi_2183040.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/c09/frank-mccourt-2576_affair_there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-fi_2183040.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“There were a number of houses. When we first arrived in Limerick, it was a one-room affair with most of it…” — Frank McCourt",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Frank McCourt",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/frank-mccourt/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "There were a number of houses....",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-first-arrived-in-limerick-it/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/frank-mccourt/there-were-a-number-of-houses-when-we-first-arrived-in-limerick-it/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
