Uploaded by ChrisCasseroles on Jan 7, 2008
Behan discusses James Connolly and the 1916 rebellion in Dublin - pausing only to ramble about Chinese socialism - while performing a couple of personal compositions, including his haunting prison ballad (The Auld Triangle) and another song recounting his involvement in an IRA operation at the tender age of 14 (Bonfire on the Border).
The recording was apparently aimed at an American audience and Behan clearly relishes talking of Lenin in connection with the Rising: "I hope the record is not smashed at the point of mentioning his name," he quips.
Perhaps this comment was only half in jest as it was released during the 1950s at the height of the anti-communist hysteria in the US.
I was disappointed to find such a dearth of Behan material on YouTube, so decided to put something together. Hope you enjoy it although it was Brendan who did the hard work, so here's to his memory and an Phoblacht abu!
Top Comments
All Comments (120)
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@stevevandien By the way, feel free to call me either "Steve" or "Steven."
But nobody, including my much-loved mother and father, has referred to me as "Stevie" since I was five years old. So I'll thank you not to do so in the future:).
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@scouseprovo There's no gainsaying Behan's best work. At his best, BB could write like hell and a half. And given that imbibing seems to have made him more genial than otherwise, I wish I could have hoisted a pint or four with him:).
Just can't help wishing as well that he'd worked it out so that he could have been a writer first, rather than "a drinker with a writing problem," as he apparently described himself (perhaps apocryphally) late in his much-too-short life.
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@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..
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Behan wrote some great stuff, like "The Hostage" and "The Queer Fellow." But I wonder whether he recorded ANY interview while sober. He sounds more than a wee bit full o' the cratur here --
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@RichardElden I've heard you are a fat useless disgrace who likes men. So what! Brendan Behan was a great writer. What are you dickhead?
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@RichardElden the token orange jaffa cake queen lover arrives on the scene
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@mogbasterd fuck you
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@coirpeach1 freestaters haw!?
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@crc778Hypnodoc i hate dubs but this guy is a champ
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@coirpeach1 no way??????seriously?????
3:27
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Brendan Behan described himself as: "an alcoholic with a writing problem."
procommenter 3 years ago 7
im reading his book "confesions of an irish rebel" very enjoyable.
LUKEJAMESBARRETT 3 years ago 6