An interview with Brendan Behan on the abolition of capital punishment.
In early 1964, the Irish Government announced the abolition of capital punishment. Brendan Behan's play 'The Quare Fellow' is a critque of capital punishment and is set in a prison in the hours before an execution.
In the only surviving Telefís Éireann (now RTÉ) interview with Brendan Behan, the writer gives his opinion on the decision. By 1964, Brendan Behan was suffering badly from a combination of the effects of years of heavy drinking and diabetes.
In this clip, although Behan is somewhat slow in conveying his thoughts, his passion for the subject comes through. Brendan Behan died a short time after this interview on 20 March 1964.
