Brendan Behan
A boisterous Dublin wit and Republican rebel who poured his jailhouse experiences into groundbreaking, tragicomic plays.
1923–1964 (age 41)·Irish poet and writer·Birthday: February 9·The Greatest Generation
Biography
Brendan Behan was Dublin in human form: loud, lyrical, rebellious, and fatally charming. Born into a Republican family, he was immersed in the Irish cause from childhood, joining the IRA's youth wing at 14. Arrested for a bombing mission in England at 16, he spent years in British reform schools and prisons, an experience that would become the raw material for his writing. His plays, like 'The Quare Fellow' and 'The Hostage,' exploded onto the stage in the 1950s, blending a brutal, unsentimental view of violence and death with a wild, music-hall sense of humor. Behan lived as hard as he wrote, becoming as famous for his public drunkenness and televised antics as for his work. His gargantuan appetite for life and drink became a performance that ultimately consumed him, cutting short a blazing literary career that left behind a small, perfect body of work capturing the soul of mid-century Ireland.
The Greatest Generation
1901–1927
Grew up during the Depression, fought World War II, and built the postwar economic boom. Defined by shared sacrifice, institutional trust, and a belief that hard work and loyalty would be rewarded.
Brendan was born in 1923, placing them squarely in The Greatest Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Brendan Was Born
The biggest hits of 1923
#1 Movie
The Covered Wagon
Brendan's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1923Born
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1928Started school
Alexander Fleming discovers penicillin; Mickey Mouse debuts
President: Calvin Coolidge"Ol' Man River" — Paul WhitemanBest Picture: Wings
1936Became a teenager
Jesse Owens wins four golds at the Berlin Olympics
Gas: $0.19/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"The Way You Look Tonight" — Fred AstaireBest Picture: The Great Ziegfeld
1939Could drive
World War II begins; The Wizard of Oz premieres
Gas: $0.19/galMin wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Over the Rainbow" — Judy GarlandBest Picture: Gone with the Wind
1941Could vote
Pearl Harbor attack brings the US into WWII
Gas: $0.19/galHome: $3,060Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Chattanooga Choo Choo" — Glenn MillerBest Picture: How Green Was My Valley
1944Turned 21
D-Day: Allied forces land at Normandy
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,400Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Swinging on a Star" — Bing CrosbyBest Picture: Going My Way
1953Turned 30
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1963Turned 40
JFK assassinated in Dallas; Martin Luther King's 'I Have a Dream' speech
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $13,100Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"Sugar Shack" — Jimmy Gilmer & The FireballsBest Picture: Tom Jones
1964Died at 41
Civil Rights Act signed; Beatles arrive in America
Gas: $0.30/galHome: $13,450Min wage: $1.25/hrPresident: Lyndon B. Johnson"I Want to Hold Your Hand" — The BeatlesBest Picture: My Fair Lady
Key Achievements
- Wrote the internationally successful play 'The Quare Fellow,' a dark comedy set in an Irish prison on the eve of an execution.
- Achieved critical acclaim with 'Borstal Boy,' his autobiographical novel about his time in a British youth prison.
- His play 'The Hostage' was a major success in London and later on Broadway, winning awards and broadening his fame.
- Became a popular figure on British and American television in the early 1960s for his witty, often inebriated interviews.
Did You Know?
He was reportedly arrested at age 9 for his first political act: tearing down a Union Jack decoration.
He was fluent in Irish (Gaelic) and wrote some of his early work in the language.
He once said, 'I am a drinker with writing problems,' a phrase often misattributed to others.
His funeral in Dublin drew one of the largest crowds the city had seen, with thousands lining the streets.
“I have a total irreverence for anything connected with society except that which makes the roads safer, the beer stronger, the food cheaper, and old men and women warmer in the winter and happier in the summer.”
