Books

Confessions of an Irish Rebel (Arena Books) by Brendan Behan Brendan Behan is a modern Irish legend, a kind of urban myth come true. In Confessions of an Irish rebel, Behan continues to regale us with his astonishing wit and general bawdy humour, peppered with comments that give a glimpse of the man and his intelligence. Here he gives us more of a celebration of his raison d'etre than confessions of a man both loved and loathed by his very jailers; this time he even manages to land in serioius trouble with the Irish police as opposed to his sworn enemy, the English police force. We see his escapades in and around Ireland, carousing with whores and singing loyalist anthems at the top of his lungs - he even manages a bit of paid work along the way. All of this is underpinned by a strong narrative and a deeply ingrained political conscience. Don't miss this book; whatever your persuasion, political or otherwise, Behan will grip you from the beginning and have you laughing all the way to the pub! Report this | Permalink

All the old Irish standards, a must for any sing song!

From the song's of Shane McGowan to the wall's of any Irish theme pub across the world, Behan is quite literally plastered into the Celtic myth, as a hell raising boozer who drank himself to death at the age of 41. Just as Dylan Thomas's litarary acheivements have been marred by the hell raising reputation he left behind him, Behan's work has to a large extent been summed up by 'quotes' and anecdotes of a baroomesque kind. In 'After the Wake', edited by Peter Fallon it's a rare treat to find some of Behan's fiction gathered together, short stories of an autobiographical nature, charting the politics and ritual of Irish life in the 30's and 40's. Behan's sharp wit, ear for dialogue and skill at putting down vernacular speech, as well as his masterey at blancing dramatic tension, all culminate in some short sharp masterpeices. In 'The Last of Mrs Murphy' we follow Behan on his fifth birthday being taken to 'Jimmy the Sports' for his first drink by an elderly neighbour. The way we're forced to wait in line at the snuff shop with Behan as the women in the queue natter, overhearing their dialogue, is Behan subtle and brash at his best. Or when the teenage Behan in "I Become a Borstal Boy', instigates a tribute to fellow terrorist inmates who have just been 'executed' in a neighbouring jail, only escaping the cosh because he's up in the magistrates court that day. Behan was all that Yeats or Joyce were not. While Yeats conjured visions of Cuchalainn and Joyce abhorred the Irish heroics, Behan lived it and wrote it with a skill averev born from experience.

London Irish by Zane Radcliffe (Paperback) London Irish is the blackest of comedies, blacker than the pint of Guinness that graces its cover and every bit as enjoyable! It's the story of Bic (his 'pen name'!) who runs a crepe stall in Greenwich as Britain prepares to celebrate the new millennium. Bic is out of sorts with London (the tourists, the lack of clean air) and Radcliffe perfectly captures that thing that a lot of us non-native Londoners feel - that there must be a better life outside the M25. I've lived in London for 4 years (originally from Galway) and can relate to Bic's desire to just pack a bag, go to an airport and take the first flight to 'Whoknowswhere'. But just as Bic decides to cut loose from the city and return to his homeland to start an ostrich farm, he meets Roisin and his world is turned upside down. From this point just try and put the book down. I couldn't. It's fast-paced and furious but always funny. And Bic's dog (Dunc, so named because Bic had rescued him from the Thames when someone had tried to drown the puppy!) is one of the finest comedy canine creations! Even though the levity is high, London Irish contains one of the most poignant expressions of a terrorist atrocity that you're likely to read. Slainte, Mr. Radcliffe!!

An ideal present for an Irish friend, fascinating facts form the obscure to the sublime!