Brendan Behan (1923-1964) was an Irish writer and IRA member. He was the author of numerous poems and novels, written in Irish Gaelic and English. Highly committed to the republican cause, he was a member of Fianna Éireann, an IRA youth organization.
Brendan Behan was born in Dublin on February 9, 1923. His father, a house painter, was once a member of the IRA during the War of Independence (1919-1921).
Brendan Behan discovers literature at a very early age, thanks to the works his father reads to him at night to lull him to sleep… He was introduced to Emile Zola, Guy de Maupassant and John Galsworthy. Brendan also discovers the world of politics through his mother, who is deeply involved in the Irish question… Her friends include some of the greatest figures in Irish history, such as Michael Collins. Brendan later declared that “only a deaf-mute could be raised by [sa] mother and be unable to list the misdeeds of England to Africa.
During his teenage years, Brendan Behan tried his hand at writing, and discovered a real passion for literature. At the age of 13, he wrote the lament “The Laughing Boy”, a poem dedicated to Michael Collins. (Brendan’s mother always called him “The Laughing Boy”).
Brendan also discovers the intoxicating effects of alcohol at an early age, drinking regularly with his grandmother… Brendan developed recurrent alcoholism from adolescence to the end of his life, and suffered from severe weight problems due to alcohol-induced diabetes.
At the age of 13, Brendan Behan left school to work with his father as a house painter. At the same time, he continued to write, and a few years later published the novel “Borstal Boy”, which was adapted for the cinema and long censored in Ireland for its obscene content.
In 1937, at the age of 14, Brendan decided to join Fianna Éireann, a branch of the IRA dedicated to Irish youth. He published poems and essays in the organization’s newspaper (The Voice of Young Ireland), and became the youngest contributor to the Irish press, after having published his poem “Reply of Young Boy to Pro-English verses” in 1931.
After more than 20 years of political and literary involvement in the circle of politically committed artists, Brendan died on March 20, 1964 of recurrent alcoholism and diabetes in Dublin’s Meath Hospital. He was subsequently buried in Glasnevin cemetery, where he received a republican funeral to the cheers of the Irish crowd.
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