An unpublished short story by Brendan Behan, along with 140 paintings from various artists, is going to auction at the National Concert Hall.
The story was written in 1952 under the nom de plum 'Mick The Miller' and is called 'Christmas Eve in the Graveyard'. The manuscript contains eight foolscap pages containing about 2,000 words. The work was given by Behan to the artist Tom Nisbet in 1952, when Behan was still virtually unknown as a writer. Auctioneer John De Vere White estimates that the manuscript has a value of between £1,000 and £2,000, but sold later for £5,400.
In this news report by Colm Connolly, John De Vere White reads an excerpt from the story, which tells the tale of a wake in Dublin during the World War I.
An RTÉ News report broadcast on 12 March 1996.
