Introduction: Brendan Behan at 100
Introduction: Brendan Behan at 100

Summary/Abstract: The year 2023 marked the centenary of playwright, prose writer, poet, and rebel Brendan Behan’s birth. In celebration of this occasion, numerous events were held all year round, once again reaffirming Behan’s status as a cult figure. These included a series of radio and television programmes by the Irish national broadcaster RTÉ, as well as the establishment of an online index by RTÉ featuring earlier Behan-related material; “100 Years of Brendan Behan,” an evening of songs, readings, and conversations about the man’s life, work, and legacy at the International Literature Festival Dublin, curated by Donal Fallon, historian and host of the popular podcast Three Castles Burning; an extensive online exhibition by the Centre Culturel Irlandais focusing on Behan’s time and connections in Paris; a production of Mother of All the Behans, adapted from Brian Behan’s book of the same name by Peter Sheridan, at the Mermaid County Wicklow Arts Centre, starring Imelda May; an episode of the EFACIS Irish Itinerary Podcast in which film maker and theatre director Alan Gilsenan discussed his documentary An Buachaill Gealgháireach (The Laughing Boy), as well as Behan’s legacy in Greece and Ireland; and a number of articles in the press published around Behan’s birthday, comprising retrospectives of his life and art. Notably, most of the commemorative acts performed throughout the centenary year attempted to redress the imbalance between Behan’s public image and his status as a writer. After all, it has often been lamented that the writer Behan, highly skilled and insightful as he was, has been overshadowed by the drinker and pop culture icon Behan.

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