Behan, Brendan, << BEE uhn, BREHN duhn >> (1923-1964), was a flamboyant Irish author. By the 1950’s, he had established himself both as an author and as a well-known Dublin character. His colorful personality as well as his deep commitment to the ideals of a free Ireland helped make him one of the best-known Irish writers to emerge after the end of World War II in 1945.
Behan was born on Feb. 9, 1923, in Dublin. Like his father, he was a member of the Irish Republican Army (IRA), an organization dedicated to expelling the British government from Northern Ireland. British authorities arrested Behan several times for his IRA activities. From the age of 16 to 22, he spent all but six months in prison. In his autobiography, Borstal Boy (1958), Behan described his experiences in an English prison for boys.
Behan is best known for two plays. The Quare Fellow (1954) concerns the feelings of the inmates and staff of a prison just before an execution. The Hostage (1958) tells about a young English soldier held prisoner by the IRA. Both plays reveal Behan’s profound humanitarian feelings. He died on March 20, 1964.
