Brian Keenan (writer)
Brian Keenan CBE | |
---|---|
Born | Belfast, Northern Ireland | 28 September 1950
Nationality | Irish/British dual citizenship |
Education | Orangefield School |
Alma mater | University of Ulster |
Subject | His time as a hostage |
Notable works | An Evil Cradling |
Spouse | Audrey Doyle |
Relatives | Elaine Spence and Brenda Gillham |
Brian Keenan
Life
Keenan was born into a working-class family in East
Hostage
On the morning of 11 April 1986, Keenan was kidnapped by Islamic Jihad. After spending two months in isolation, he was moved to a cell shared with the British journalist John McCarthy. He was kept blindfolded throughout most of his ordeal and was chained hand and foot when he was taken out of solitary.
The British and American governments at the time had a policy that they would not negotiate with terrorists, and Keenan was considered by some to have been ignored by them. Because he was travelling on both Irish and British passports, the Irish government made numerous diplomatic representations for his release, working closely with the Iranian government. Throughout the kidnap they also provided support to his two sisters, Elaine Spence and Brenda Gillham, who were spearheading the campaign for Brian's release. He was released from captivity to Syrian military forces on 24 August 1990 and was driven to Damascus. There he was handed over by the Syrian Foreign Ministry to the care of Irish Ambassador, Declan Connolly. His sisters were flown by Irish military executive jet to Damascus to meet him and bring him home to Northern Ireland.
In 1993, he married Audrey Doyle, a physiotherapist. They have two children and live in Dublin.[4][5]
He returned to Beirut in 2007 for the first time since being released 17 years earlier.[6][7] He wrote of the trip, "I couldn’t say I was happy and excited to be back – it was far more than that. I was falling in love."[8]
Works
An Evil Cradling is an autobiographical book by Keenan about his four years as a hostage in Beirut. The book revolves heavily around the great friendship he experienced with fellow hostage
It was also enthusiastically reviewed.
An Evil Cradling was adapted into a 2003 film, Blind Flight.
Bibliography
- An Evil Cradling, 1991
- Turlough, 1996
- Between Extremes: A Journey beyond Imagination (With J. McCarthy) 2000
- Four Quarters of Light: A Journey through Alaska, 2004
- I'll Tell Me Ma, 2010
See also
- List of kidnappings
- List of Northern Irish writers
- List of solved missing person cases
References
- ^ BBC: Irish hostage released in Lebanon
- ^ BBC: A hostage's story, by Brian Keenan
- OCLC 28181255.
- ^ "How Brian Keenan found love and learned to live again". Irish Independent. 25 August 1999. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ "Brian Keenan on spirituality, faith, writing and fear". BBC Isle of Man. 7 January 2010. Retrieved 7 March 2023.
- ^ "BBC Two - Brian Keenan: Back to Beirut". www.bbc.co.uk.
- ^ Keenan, Brian (22 July 2006). "After the Flood". The Guardian.
- ^ Keenan, Brian (23 March 2008). "Brian Keenan's journey back to hostage hell". Times Online. Archived from the original on 9 May 2008.