Today we remember Brendan Behan who died on this day in 1964. Brendan was an Irish poet, novelist, and playwright who wrote in both English and Irish. He was also an Irish republican and a volunteer in the Irish Republican Army. Born in Dublin into a republican family, he became a member of the IRA's youth organisation Fianna Éireann at the age of fourteen. There was also a strong emphasis on Irish history and culture in the home, which meant he was steeped in literature and patriotic ballads from a tender age. Behan joined the IRA at sixteen, which led to him serving time in a borstal youth prison in the United Kingdom and was also imprisoned in Ireland. During this time, he took it upon himself to study and he became a fluent speaker of the Irish language. Subsequently released from prison as part of a general amnesty given by the Fianna Fáil government in 1946, Behan moved between homes in Dublin, Kerry and Connemara and also resided in Paris for a period. Behan went on to find fame as writer of plays like The Quare Fellow, The Hostage and best selling books including Borstal Boy which was basically a memoir of his time in Hollesley Bay Borstal for republican activities in England. Much of Behan’s work was autobiographical, showcasing working class, republican Dublin. Behan suffered from the curse of many Irish writers - alcoholism. “One drink is too many for me and a thousand not enough.” At his death at the tragically young age of 41, he received an IRA funeral and a huge send off from Dublin’s population. He is buried in Glasnevin Cemetery. Attached Image - Brendan with American actor and comedian Jackie Gleason, 1960.