Jump to content

Brian Behan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Brian Behan
Behan in June of 1963
Behan in 1963
Born(1926-10-10)10 October 1926
Dublin, County Dublin,Ireland
Died2 October 2002(2002-10-02)(aged 75)
Children5, includingJanet Behan
ParentsStephen Behan(father)
Kathleen Behan(mother)
Relatives

Brian Behan(⫽ˈbiːən⫽BEE-ən;Irish:Brian Ó Beacháin;10 November 1926 – 2 November 2002) was an Irish writer, public speaker, lecturer, andtrade unionist.

Early years[edit]

Behan was born inDublin,the son ofStephen BehanandKathleen Behan(née Kearney), nephew ofPeadar Kearney(author ofAmhrán na bhFiann,the Irish National Anthem), younger brother ofBrendan Behanand older brother ofDominic Behan.He is the father of the playwright and actressJanet Behan,journalist Rosemary Behan,[1]writer and musician Ruth Behan,[2]musician and poet Daniel Tobias Behan.[3]and Linsey Jane Behan, solicitor.

After being caught stealing money from the gas meter of a neighbour (an act he later tended to gloss over – describing it as "some minor trouble" ), he was sent to what was effectively a penal institution, theArtane Industrial School,which could be described as areformatory.Behan later claimed he was systematically abused at Artane; investigations into the school later found widespread instances of physical, emotional, and sexual abuse. Behan applied for and was posthumously awarded damages for the abuse – though he never fully recovered and would never return permanently to Ireland after leaving, as was the case with many victims of similar mistreatment.[4]

After Behan was released from Artane School he joined theIrish Army's construction corps.[5]

Move to England and politics[edit]

In 1950, Behan moved to London to work as alabourer.Having long considered himself ananarcho-syndicalist,he became a prominent trade union activist[6]and was imprisoned inBrixton Prisonfor leading ago-slowon theFestival of Britainconstruction site.[5]

Behan then joined theCommunist Party of Great Britain(CPGB) and soon became a member of its executive committee. He was taken on a tour of Eastern Europe, Russia and China, meetingJoseph StalinandMao Zedong,but was unimpressed. In 1956, he left the CPGB in protest at theSoviet invasion of Hungary,[6]instead joining theTrotskyistgroupThe Club,who were active in theLabour Party.He quickly became the group's secretary, and in 1958, he wrote his first work,Socialists and the Trade Unions.[7]

In 1958, Behan obtained work on theShell Centresite. He was soonsacked,at which theshop stewards' committee called a strike, which was given the full support of The Club. Brendan Behan came to support his brother on thepicket line,but Brian was arrested after a scuffle and again jailed. The official union, theAmalgamated Union of Building Trade Workers,opposed the strike and this, combined with Behan's opposition to the Labour Party, convinced The Club to leave and constitute the organisation as theSocialist Labour League(SLL).[8]Behan became increasingly uneasy about SLL leaderGerry Healy's control of the organisation, and was also concerned that Healy was reluctant to cut ties with the Labour Party. In May 1960, he was expelled from the group, along with a few supporters.[9]Behan then founded a short-lived "Workers' Party", which publishedWorkers' Voice[10]and was active in support of the 1966 seamen's strike.[11]

Writer and lecturer[edit]

In 1964, Behan wrote his first piece on his family life,With Breast Expanded.Forced to give up building work due to an arm injury, he moved to live on a boat inShoreham-by-Seaand studied history andEnglishatSussex University.He then studied teaching, before in 1973 becoming a lecturer inmedia studiesat theLondon College of Printing.[6]In 1972, he contested aswearingmatch at theBritish Museum,to mark the republication ofRobert Graves'Lars Porsena.[5]

Turning increasingly to writing, Behan completedTime To Goin 1979,Mother of All The Behansin 1984,Kathleenin 1988, these last two inspired by his family life.[7]Mother of all the Behanswould become a successful Dublin, London and New York theatrical production. FeaturingRosaleen Linehan,and produced and directed byPeter Sheridan,it ultimately became Behan's biggest critical success. In 1990, he also had his most successful theatrical run, with "Boots for the Footless" enjoying a 6-week sold-out run at theTricycle Theatre,Kilburn;a promisedWest Endproduction failed to materialise, however, when the financier fell from a balcony.

In 1989, he retired from teaching and moved toBrighton,where he frequented the localnaturistbeach, and worked on a number of plays, most of which were staged in the town. In the years before his death, his then-burgeoning acting career expanded to include a number of television commercials, and a short skit forMTV,where he portrayed an agedKeith Flint(frontman for electronic bandThe Prodigy).[5]

Further reading[edit]

With Breast Expanded.London: MacGibbon & Kee, 1964.[12]

References[edit]

  1. ^Behan, Rosemary (12 January 2007)."If only my leftie parents had been hypocrites".The Times.The Sunday Times.ISSN0140-0460.Retrieved18 October2020.
  2. ^"We interview Ruth Behan, whose writing will feature in Common People: an anthology of working class writers".Literature Works SW - Nurturing literature development activity in South West England.Retrieved18 October2020.
  3. ^"Wombwell Rainbow Interviews: Daniel Tobias Behan".The Wombwell Rainbow.21 February 2020.Retrieved18 October2020.
  4. ^Chapter 7, St. Joseph's Industrial School, Artane ('Artane'), 1870–1969,Section 7.01, Report of theCommission to Inquire into Child Abuse
  5. ^abcd"Obituaries: Brian Behan",The Daily Telegraph
  6. ^abc"Obituary: Brian Behan",The Guardian
  7. ^ab"Obituary: Brian Behan",The Independent
  8. ^Jim Higgins,"1956 and All That"
  9. ^The Rise and Fall of Gerry Healy
  10. ^Cliff Slaughter,"What is Revolutionary Leadership?"
  11. ^Foulser, George, 1920–1975
  12. ^"With Breast Expanded".
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Brian_Behan&oldid=1224838002"