Behan, Brendan

The Irish poet, author and playwright Brendan Behan was born in the poor inner city district of Dublin in 1923. His father, Stephen Behan, saw his child for the first time from behind the bars of the infamous Kilmainham Gaol. He was a house painter and a republican who spent his son's first year in prison after having participated in the Irish rebellion (1916–1922). Brendan's mother was also a fervent republican. Her brother Peadar Kearney wrote the lyrics for "The Soldier's Song", now the Irish national anthem.