The plaque recognises Behan’s enduring legacy as one of Dublin’s most distinctive and influential literary voices.
A plaque to honour Irish writer Brendan Behan was today unveiled by Lord Mayor of Dublin Councillor Ray McAdam, marking Brendan’s former home at 13 Russell Street, Dublin 1.
The plaque commemorates Behan’s contribution to Irish literature and cultural life, recognising his enduring legacy as one of Dublin’s most distinctive and influential literary voices. Born on the 9th February 1923, Brendan Behan was a playwright, poet and novelist whose works, including The Quare Fellow and Borstal Boy, remain central to Ireland’s collection of literary classics.
Speaking at the unveiling, the Lord Mayor of Dublin, Councillor Ray McAdam said:
“Brendan Behan was a fearless, unmistakably Dublin writer, a man who took the language of the streets and proved it belonged on the page and on the stage. His work gave voice to lived experience and working class Dublin, with all its wit, tenderness, and hard truth. It is deeply fitting that Dublin City Council honours him here on Russell Street, at an address now home to Fighting Words, where new generations are being encouraged to find their own voice, shape their own sentences, and tell their own stories.”
“Dublin has always been a city that lives by its stories. They are carried in our streets and in our conversations, in that most Dublin of questions, what’s the story. That is why our designation as a UNESCO City of Literature feels less like a title and more like recognition of who we already are.
Our public libraries are at the heart of that everyday relationship with books and ideas, places people wander into, stay longer than they planned, and leave changed in small but important ways. Brendan Behan belongs to that living tradition, close to the people, shaped by the city, still speaking to us, and still reminding us that Dublin will not let its voices go.”
The decision to erect the plaque was made by the Dublin City Council Commemorations & Naming Committee, whose chair, Councillor Donna Cooney, said,
“The Commemorative Plaques Scheme allows the City to formally commemorate people who have made a significant contribution to the life of Dublin. We welcome suggestions from the public for people and events to be commemorated. Full details are on the Council website.”
The unveiling ceremony was also addressed by Guy Walker, Brendan Behan’s grandson, who was in attendance with his brother Rupert. Other contributors were poet and playwright Paula Meehan, playwright and screenwriter Peter Sheridan, and Alan Gilsenan, Chairperson of Fighting Words. The event concluded with Glen Hansard and Josh O’Keefe performing a rendition of “The Auld Triangle“.
The plaque was proposed by Colm Ó Cuanacháin, Executive Director of Fighting Words. The Council also acknowledges the cooperation of the building’s owner John Rooney and his company Cuisle Properties, who granted permission for the plaque to be installed.
