Abstrakt
Known for mostly his plays and autobiographical fiction, Brendan Behan was also an accomplished musician, famously including his song "The Auld Triangle," in the play The Quare Fellow. Having written several songs and ballads and performing them himself during his life while having the charisma and charm to draw in an audience, it is understandable that Behan himself became a topic of different songs and lyrics after his death ranging from primary focus to smaller offhanded mentions. The paper proposes to explore some of the more popular mentions of the persona of Brendan Behan in songs focusing primarily on two styles that appear to engage with the character the most - punk and folk.
The paper will discuss what kind of image Behan has in these songs addressing the often-derogatory portrayal as a drunk man to ascertain whether Behan's portrayal is simply of a boisterous alcoholic, or whether the two styles of music and their general topic engagement provide a more nuanced view of the author and his legacy. The paper will include the discussion of lyrics (and where possible of live performances) of more well-known depictions such as The Pogues' "Streams of Whiskey" or Damien Dempsey's "Jar Song," as well as the lesser-known engagements such as are songs by Sex Pistols or Dexys Midnight Runners to examine how Brendan Behan remains memorialized in popular music.