Brendan Behan on the Easter Rising

[@seancooley]

Well done, it's great to hear his actual voice. I interviewed an old friend of his last year, the one and only Garech Brown, who spent a lot of time with him in Dublin in the "60's. Garech told me, Brendan's last piece of writing was in fact " No Parking here". This was a sign he painted for the owner of a cafe in Merrion Row. Brendan got Guinness for the Job. I recorded Brendan's first cousin Kevin Bourke, age 92, reciting both his and brendan's uncle, Peader Kearney's poem, "A Soldiers Song"

[@NickerSkids]

What a person to have on your side.... Even a working class Scottish Protestant like myself can sort of side with him.......i think. "you going to your work in the morning" Regardless of condition or predicament (albeit less than the GPO guy),that was my mums cry to me before i left hame.

[@MrRexkinger]

Brendan Behan........a superstar by all accounts......... A man you won`t meet everyday......

[@taylorahern2714]

It's amazing, that with the prodigious amount of booze that that above literary legend guzzled, that he was able to retain his impressive powers of articulation, and eloquence. I was just at this pub in Jamaica Plain, Boston, the other day, this pub that is named in his honor. The Brendan Behan Pub! It is Awesome!! Very, very authentically Irish, a bit dusty, with no televisions, as it draws this very eclectic and somewhat bohemian crowd. It is always ranked as one of the best Irish pubs in the entire nation, year after year. I loved it! And what a tribute to the man! I'll be going back!

[@theonlyantony]

+Taylor Ahern but only until 41 years-old, sadly. Great output. High quality work. Peerless, really! Extremely influential in so many fields.

[@MrRexkinger]

An amazing talent...he lived his life his way......` i did it my way`........a great epitaph.....none better.....

[@markharrison2544]

It is inappropriate to name a pub after a man who died from alcoholism.

[@jax9574]

There were plenty of big boozers around then

[@vbascripts5609]

borstal boy and confessions of an irish rebel great books.

[@TheMerseyBoy]

An ordinary man's voice you can truly listen to.

[@DaveSCameron]

+TheMerseyBoy Spot on :)

[@system1912]

Absolutely.

[@matttaylor4228]

We have a Behans pub in Birmingham named in his honour.

[@ozzie-sk9dh]

That’s better than Dublin, his home town. Nothing.

[@danieljoseph369]

@@ozzie-sk9dh there is a statue near Croke Park and a block of flats named after him

[@moosey62]

That's great to hear Brendan's voice. I read his books a long time ago.

[@trickytricky7401]

Its not what he said, its what he meant that lingers between the lines , as always . great man . RIP Brendan

[@knpb]

Good on ye for putting this up. Behan is going thru' an underated phase, but he and his work will be back !!

[@BehrHunterNH]

He didn't say genital. He said "General" with a very inner city Dublin accent. Phonetically it sounds "Generdel". Ask anyone from inner city Dublin what is the name of the Post Office on O'Connel street and they will sound the same as Behan.

[@AbandonEarth911]

Mtsongs The ragged trousered philanthropists is indeed a wonderful book.Workers of all lands unite.

[@crc778Hypnodoc]

If Irishness was a professional occupation, then Brendan has to be the most qualified Irish man ever, A renowned drinker, womaniser, poet, singer, author, playright, patriotic fighter, and one of the great storytellers ever. A great man

[@paddymuppy]

Nothing great about alcoholism which killed him aged 41

[@loumcconnell503]

@@paddymuppy occupational hazard in Ireland.

[@knownpleasures]

You need plenty of money 💰 for alcoholism and unfortunately people gave him too much of that stuff to buy the other stuff!!

[@skippership7]

@@paddymuppy You can blame the English for that.

[@b.m.t.h.3961]

Being an alcoholic or womaniser is not anything great

[@larrydelamb]

A quare fella would mean a character .indeed. And we're not short of them.

[@sneezepal]

Great stuff! Behan was one of a kind.

[@peterkeane7767]

Brendan Behan might have done more for himself Socially if he had moderated his language,but why on earth would he trade off 'respectability for renown!His voice while slurred at times was heard,especially both sides of 'The Pond' because people recognised the truth in it,and the deep love for the "ordinary" Irish people and Ireland.While his faculties may have dimmed a little,his intellect,Wit,passion and commitment always shone through!

[@seancooley]

Just to continue post below, I believe that these recordings where done by Claddagh Records whom Garech Brown had set up and is still going today. I will be broadcasting a " Voices of Dublin" RADIO project before Christmas 2009 this year and I have over 100 interviews done, all Dubs, and Brendan's sayings and razor sharp wit is thankfully still alive today in his fellow dubs. Gerry Cooley Dublin Historian

[@stacyblue1980]

I have never seen a situation so dismal that a police officer couldnt make it worse..he said.......or somethin like that......I laff every time i think of it. Thanx Brendan. Even little american girls giggled at yr humor.

[@golddust59]

thanks so much for posting this!! Legend!!

[@alanoneill3065]

He has a fine voice yer man

[@johnkennedy9746]

read borstal boy in a scottish borstal nornside brilliant read .r.i.p. brendan.

[@mtsongs]

brendan behans, 'the borstal boy', which mentions 'the ragged trousered philanthropists', two books which should be read. brendan with luke kelly and ronnie drew, who all sang 'the auld triangle', it gets no better.

[@jackodoherty1458]

The ragged trousers philanthropists is a wonderful read.

[@madDdog67]

Brilliant.

[@polmaccaba]

Brendan is alive!!! WE ARE I-R-I-S-H!!!!

[@theonlyantony]

at 3:20 he says it all. They don't want it to end. Remember that! Same in Palestine - same in Ulster; the gangsters make a good living, by the protraction of hostilities. It was thus ever.

[@DaveSCameron]

+theonlyantony Really? Living good in Ulster and Palestine is certainly not what most folks strive towards...and not any evidence of either.

[@LUKEJAMESBARRETT]

im reading his book "confesions of an irish rebel" very enjoyable.

[@larrydelamb]

thats right. the Irish citizens army and the Irish republican brotherhood fought side by side but were not under the same command padraic pearse being Officer commanding (OC) of Dublin Brigade IRB and james Connolly being commander of the ICA in the Easter rising 1916

[@scouseprovo]

@stevevandien stevie,BB was a self confessed alcoholic,but definatly one of greatest writers that has come out of Ireland,read his book "Confessions of an Irish Rebel,,its a fantastic read.but yes he loved the hard stuff..

[@toerag5475]

Fifa Bhoy ,read all his books, and anything I find that is written about him, I read borstal boy while doing a borstal in my youth. He started my life of Reading, I find Irish writers some of the best .

[@igorstein5616]

In the Mornin and the Screw was Ballin girr up ya Bowsy and clean up yar Cell and the Owl Triangle went Jingle Jangle

[@gabrielrosenstock3459]

Murach a cháil ní ligfí dó na tuairimí sin a nochtadh, is dócha.

[@AsozialPremium]

to young to die, but too drunken to live !! RIP

[@KungfuCow5]

Cool Idea. Read 'Borstal Boy' a couple of weeks ago, very good book.

[@AlongtheFarClimbDown843]

I've read it. "Fred wasn't so green as he was cabbage-looking." I detected no homosexuality in Behan.

[@iainlonuk]

wheter he was gay or not is neither here nor there ,he got out out of ireland and experienced what the enemy was like and saw that they were just like him ,its not the people its the establishment,i think i heard ,mark twain said it best ,travel is the enemy of pejudice

[@ChrisCasseroles]

paddyh701: Thank you for pointing out the error. I have spoken to Mr Behan, who would like to offer apologies for his mistake.

[@MonstroMuggins]

@Countzir0interrupt I'm glad somebody noticed. They are both great songs.

[@jeaner]

Thanks, this is great!

[@falstaffswims]

lovely!

[@nipperparr6709]

Great man pitty the way he was treated when his alcohol took over!

[@michaeloconnell9476]

You can blame his grandmother for that!

[@harrybond007]

I wish I could understand what he was saying!

[@derekheffernan8990]

You"ve got a lovely voice brendan x

[@AlongtheFarClimbDown843]

Brendan Behan described himself as: "an alcoholic with a writing problem."

[@dewanevl]

He did ramble a bit on this bit. OK more than just a bit. I don't care what his persuasion is, nor yours either. I thik I heard this before. At one point on the album, he says he had some problem with his false teeth, which would explain the mumbling and the weak singing. You get no idea of his fine strong voice. Poor Brendan, were it not for...(making a motion of lowering a glass). A fine writer though, please read the Scarperer, still my favorite policier/mystery novel.

[@michaeloconnell9476]

Brendan's mother Kathleen served in the Easter Rising as a member of Cumman na mban, a great lady and a real character just like her son.

[@skippership7]

Indeed she was, a great lady and sister to Peadar Kearney and wife to Stephen who was one of Mick Collins 12 apostles as well during the WOI..... What a family.

[@seamusdebuitleir20]

Jesus Brendan nothing has changed only the faces,just changed our masters who are worse now hospitals corruption etc ect( Sadly missed a true Workers Republican)

[@Poemsapennyeach]

Love Behan.

[@liamthedream]

How could you have spoken to Mr. Behan? he died in March 1964.

[@ColdChicago]

brendan behan bless his name fought for ireland dammed the patriot game friend to brecht and the poor and for that they spit on his door so dear friends: take care kiss the dollar and beware

[@celticvisions4]

God save Ireland!

[@ajferet]

Exactly...

[@paveegypsy]

haha thats such a funny thing to say " your obviously not Irish" haha I never heard such pompus words in my life and thats coming from an Irish man

[@michaelbermingham4502]

What does he say at 3:40?

[@igorstein5616]

+Michael Bermingham Pitch and Toss its Gambing using Coins

[@rogueriderhood1862]

The Chinese government is more Christian than the Irish government? Well, I suppose it's a point of view, but I doubt there are too many political re-education camps in the Irish Republic are there?

[@user-ys5yv2nz6w]

I believe they called them Christian Brothers Schools

[@stevekaczynski3793]

Behan's enthusiasm for left-wing politics comes through in "Borstal Boy", where he mentions singing the "Internationale" with fellow inmates while outdoors on some work task.

[@mtsongs]

major mc, great dream, but there is only one group that always unite, n i'm sure that you know who they are.

[@1Cov1]

Somewhat Irish american by any chance are you?

[@seanbhoy493]

no the citizens army and the volunteers became the ira at the start of the rising

[@shill700]

i wasnt being pompous - i meant it with a smile. It's just that the word 'quare' is Irish slang which has nothing to do with the word 'queer' - It means ' a fine fellow' or something like that.

[@dowdallerno1]

Quare means strange or out of the ordinary. He is a "quare" boy. He is an extraordinary fellow

[@antseanbheanbocht4993]

@@dowdallerno1 Strangly enough I've also heard it used in Dublin for Girls, "chasing the Quare ones "

[@michaelbermingham4502]

Does he say "pigeon hop school" or "pitching hopscule" a game where you throw up ha'pennies?

[@spikeandmisty]

+Michael Bermingham Pitch and Toss

[@PaulFagan]

+Michael Bermingham Pitch and toss

[@johnpatrickbarry4277]

+michael murphy cool

[@jackodoherty1458]

Pitch and toss school where 2 half pennies are tossed in the air.

[@ChrisCasseroles]

Ah, you got it now.

[@JohnJohnson-uw8dm]

In 1919.

[@bob555555]

a drinker with a writing problem

[@Ducksexbody]

@RichardElden the token orange jaffa cake queen lover arrives on the scene

[@BlackHeron100]

Really wanted to hear this, but just couldn't follow him. Speech unclear and so hard to understand!!!!!!

[@dowdallerno1]

Which part. I found it okay. But then I am Irish😂😂😂

[@emmetcraig828]

Hello from Ireland!..😂

[@edmund184]

1:09 there still isn't any free health care is there?

[@ChrisCasseroles]

"I come to abolish the village idiot."

[@markharrison2544]

It was a mistake to launch the uprising without weapons from Germany.

[@mrtrampandhiscat]

im british but i know how to say it right

[@paddyh701]

who ever made this viedo got it wrong its not the ira its the ivf so get ur facts right

[@ohno2112]

Gerry Adams new name Lord Baconhead !

[@DaveSCameron]

+ohno2112 He said Lord Birkenhead, ex enforcer of the Crown...

[@svenlittlecross]

lol was that genital post office?

[@igorstein5616]

+svenlittlecross You know what he said ya GobShite . He has a Dublin Accent ya Red Necked Culchie Eejit

[@svenlittlecross]

igor stein got no humour

[@shoulderghost1]

You have to bear in mind that Behan was addressing a crowd of Yanks at the time. Of course, he was knocking as much humour out of it as he could, as we all do when Americans are within earshot. I'd say he definitely made it sound like Genital PO. Loved the way he praises the Chinese. In the 1950's, that certainly wouldn't have been too pleasing to ears across the Atlantic! Hard to find better than the bould Brendan!

[@paddyh701]

seamusoconghalie: ur wrong miceal collins started the ira and he was not a leader when the rising happened and when deverla was in wexford jail and miceal collins were in wales in jail it was called the irb. then when the war of indenpetenced happened as the leader miceal collins thats when the ira starded

[@murphull7413]

The Chinese government is more Christian....oh bigh...you’ve had too much of the drink, Brennan.

[@yasdnilknarf1885]

He didn't want free hospital treatment because he has plenty of money, doesnt sound very Republican to me.

[@Irishfianna]

hahaha good storyteler 'i want te see me husband ' hahahaha

[@bsjyeaz2885]

uhhhhh

[@tumadoireacht]

01.32: "the gpo is the genital post office " priceless. wasn't behan gay?

[@22grena]

Brendan was certainly wrong about Mao's murderous regime

[@teddydixon6875]

True.

[@Cooverdamn]

1:32 "The GPO is the Genital Post Office" :D

[@eoink8387]

No IRA man would ever speak of Lenin.

[@TodayFreedom]

So many broken, hypocritical, pompous, ill-informed, ahistorical opinions in one lazy lecture. Classic Behan. Forgettable drivel.

[@user-ys5yv2nz6w]

Elaboration?