The Mount Rushmore of Irish Writers

I came across a post card of these six famous Irish writers many years ago and held on to for years. During my sorting and rearranging Covid period, I found it and had it framed for my wall of Irish inspirational mementos. While I have a long list of favorite Irish writers, I refer to this as The Mount Rushmore.

I  wrote about Oscar Wilde and James Joyce just recently on these pages, and I have often quoted W.B. Yeats. Of the other three, George Bernard Shaw is probably best known. Until seeing this picture,  I had assumed he was English not Irish, because of Pygmalion I guess. I did not know Sean O’Casey by name although I was familiar with Juno and the Paycock, his most renowned play. Brendon Behan, the sixth face was totally unknown to me.

I thought it would be fun to quote some of Behan’s witticisms. He reminds me of an Irish Mark Twain or a Jimmy Breslin.

Some of his general comments on life:

If you greatly desire something, have the guts to stake everything on obtaining it.

Inspirations never go in for long engagements; they demand immediate marriage to action.

At the innermost core of all loneliness is a deep and powerful yearning for union own lost self.

And some of his quips about being Irish:

It's not that the Irish are cynical. It's rather that they have a wonderful lack of respect for everything and everybody.

Other people have a nationality. The Irish and the Jews have a psychosis.

If it was raining soup, the Irish would go out with forks.

Ah, bless you, Sister, may all your sons be bishops.

I’ll leave you with:

Shakespeare said pretty well everything and what he left out, James Joyce, with a judge from meself, put in.