March 20th, 1964 - Death of Brendan Behan

On March 20th, 1964, Brendan Behan, acclaimed poet and writer of plays, short stories, and novels, died in Dublin of diabetes and heavy drinking. Behan, a former member of Fianna Éireann and an IRA Volunteer, was imprisoned twice for his role in the struggle for freedom, once as a young man in a borstal in Suffolk, England where he was taking part in an IRA bombing campaign, and later in Mountjoy prison for firing at a peeler during an IRA parade. An IRA guard of honour escorted his coffin.