Brendan Behan

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Born on 9 February 1923, Brendan Behan was raised at 13 Russell Street in Dublin’s north inner city. He became one of Ireland’s best-known writers and talkers. Behan moved between Dublin, Kerry and Connemara and spent time in Paris, writing in both Irish and English. He wrote articles for The Irish Press and two radio plays for Radio Éireann.

‘The Quare Fellow’, Behan’s first play, was produced in 1954 in Dublin. ‘The Hostage’ met with great success internationally following Joan Littlewood’s production in London in 1958. Borstal Boy, Behan’s autobiographical novel, was published the same year and became an immediate best seller. Suffering from diabetes, compounded by years of heavy drinking, he died on 20 March 1964.