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Unity supplement
Communist by day and a Catholic by night
PAULINE MURPHY writes on the life of Irish Republican, poet and writer Brendan Behan and his flirtations with socialist politics
Brendan Behan (left) and American actor Jackie Gleason (right) in the dressing room at the show of Take Me Along in 1960

NINETY-FIVE years ago today, Brendan Behan entered the world's stage. As the Irish civil war was raging in 1923, Behan was born in the heart of Dublin to a family steeped in the Irish Republican tradition.

Being born into a staunch family of Republicans meant that it was a natural progression for young Brendan to join the Irish Republican Army (IRA), as many in his family had done before him. 

Behan's involvement in the Republican movement led to a stint behind bars. However the time he spent in jail opened the door to a career in writing.

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