Yankee Brew News Archive

Pub Review: The Brendan Behan Pub

Originally Published: 03/95

By: Joseph Flynn

Six years ago, Gerry Brennan, owner of the Brendan Behan Pub in Boston's Jamaica Plain section, took a chance. It's the kind of chance a lot of us think about but for one reason or another never take. With the backing of some friends, Gerry, a native of Naas, County Kildare, opened a pub in a largely Spanish-speaking part of Boston.

As Gerry tells the story, "Some thought we were crazy, that nobody would come here, that we should have bought something in an Irish neighborhood, but we bought where the price was right. We named it after Brendan Behan," he continued, "because he was a playwright and a rogue. You should have seen the place," he remarks of the pub, located at 378A Centre Street, on one of Jamaica Plain's main thoroughfares. "It was a dive. We put a lot of hard work into it and once it opened, people started coming. We have been doing a good business since."

In fact, in the six years since he opened the Behan (as it is called by its regulars) it has gained notoriety as one of the best bars in Boston. It has been voted the "Best Irish Bar in Boston" by Boston Magazine in 1990, 1991 and again in 1994; stories have been written about it by both of Boston's daily newspapers. Interview Magazine has proclaimed it "one of the four best beer haunts in the United States." Internationally, stories have appeared on the Behan in Irish newspapers and it was mentioned in a German Magazine, GEO, in an article on the Irish in Boston. It's been used as a set for the film "The Patriot," a movie about an IRA gun-running ship, The Valhalla, and is currently used as a setting for a local cable soap series called "Dot Ave" which features the local Irish and Irish-American community.

The remark made most often about The Behan is that "it is the closest thing to an Irish pub in America." To quote Gerry, "Pubs in Ireland, especially out in the country, act as a social center for the community. Everyone goes to the pub; people go to chat and to talk." In other words, people go to a pub to interact with one another. Beer or alcohol act as a catalyst that allows a conversation to develop, but it is not regarded as an end in itself. In The Behan that means the closest thing to a TV is the fish tank that sits over a corner of the bar. As Gerry says, "In Ireland, if people want to watch TV they stay home. In a pub, people entertain themselves or there is a dance or music."

The Behan offers music in the form of sessions. Once or twice a week, local musicians meet and jam together playing traditional Irish music. On other nights, local rock or blues bands play. There is usually never a cover charge. Bands play for the exposure. Gerry tells of a popular Irish band, The Fat Lady Sings, who played for free. "In Ireland," he notes, "they would have charged $3,000 but because of our limited size, we could have never paid that kind of money."

Lately, The Behan has become noted for a number of literary events it has hosted. Authors such as J.P. Donleavy, who wrote the classic "The Ginger Man," appeared and gave a reading from his latest work, "The History of the Ginger Man." It seems that as a young man, Donleavy was a friend of Brendan Behan and specifically arranged to have a reading in the pub named after his departed friend. Rosemary Mahoney, who wrote "Whoredom in Kimmage," a book critical of Irish culture, also has given a reading there. The latest literary happening at The Behan was a series of readings by professional actors of various works of James Joyce in celebration of Bloomsday. Organized by Martin Hanley, a local actor and director, the readings included "The Soliloquy of Molly Bloom" from "Ulysses," selections from "Christmas Dinner," "The Dead" and "Chamber Music." What is amazing about these events is the respect given to the performers. The audience listens; most of them are there specifically for the event. In this sense, The Behan has captured the Irish respect for the spoken word. Martin Hanley described most American audiences as being "preoccupied with special effects, visualization and weird camera angles. There's almost a need to reeducate people and it's an uphill battle."

A second distinctive characteristic of the Behan is the quality of its beer. Nine taps feature a mixture of imports: Guinness, Murphy's, Harp, Bass and Carlsberg and a variety of domestic microbrews; Sam Adams, Pilgrim Ale from Old Harbor Brewing Company, Pete's Wicked Ale and Cider Jack. Guinness is the best seller at the Behan. What makes a good pint of Guinness is something that an Irishman can discuss in detail.

According to Gerry, "Pulling a pint of Guinness is an art form. It can't be rushed. Pull half then let it settle. Come back to it again. Then top it off. It should be nice and black with a half an inch of white head. The head should stay all the way down as you drink."

Gerry elaborated further on Ireland's national drink. "The taps for the Guinness are located right over the keg so it does not have far to travel. The Guinness tap should be close to the source and should be flowing. In Ireland," he observed, "Budweiser has become the trendy beer to drink. There's a Bud commercial at home where a good looking couple are shown drinking Bud out of long neck bottles then, for contrast, the camera cuts away to some poor old sod sitting behind his pint of Guinness." He concluded by noting that "for years, Guinness has advertised as being good for you and it is. It's not uncommon for doctors to recommend a pint to pregnant women to increase their iron."

The Behan is a small cozy bar. Its motif consists of posters and pictures of Behan augmented by a wide assortment of theater billboards, beer advertisements and books. Its clientele consists of Irish students and people who Gerry describes as carpenters, waiters and cab drivers by day and poets, actors and writers by night. It is the kind of place where Behan, author, playwright and notorious boozer, would feel right at home, a place where good quality beer and good conversation are appreciated.

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