Behan died a slave to drink
KATHLEEN BEHAN used to tell the story of being given money by Michael Collins while she was pregnant with her son Brendan in 1922. Her brother, Peadar Kearney, was the author of the ‘Soldier’s Song’, later adopted as the national anthem.
Brendan Behan, who was born on February 9, 1923, made many waves during his comparative short life. He quit school at 13, but was already showing literary prowess because at that age he wrote the ‘Laughing Boy’, a lament for Michael Collins.
