The Holy Hour: A Requiem for Brendan Behan Booklet

The Holy Hour: A Requiem for Brendan Behan, reframes the long-caricatured Dublin writer and goes in search of a truer picture of Behan as a man and as an artist. Created by author Patrick McCabe (The Butcher Boy, Breakfast on Pluto, Poguemahone), the exhibition celebrates the centenary of Behan’s birth, and mourns the essential tragedy of his short life.

In this captivating audio-visual installation, McCabe brings visitors on a profound, often hilarious – and at times almost psychedelic – voyage through glimpses of Behan’s life and work. Through the prism of the Roman Catholic liturgy, McCabe’s Holy Hour blends archive footage, heavy lashings of music, and Behan’s own words to cast the Dublin writer in a more nuanced light.

This exclusive and limited run pamphlet contains the text of the exhibition above. Produced by the Museum of Literature Ireland and written by Patrick McCabe.