author
Brian O'Higgins
1882–1963
A fierce voice in Irish public life, this poet and writer blended songs, verse, and political conviction into work that stayed closely tied to the struggle for Irish independence. His writing helped keep republican memory, folklore, and feeling alive for generations of readers.
1 Audiobook
Fun o' the Forge: Stories
by Brian O'Higgins
About the author
Born in County Meath on July 1, 1882, Brian O'Higgins was an Irish writer, poet, and activist who also wrote under the name Brian na Banban. He became involved in the Gaelic revival and in Sinn Féin, and his life moved between literature and politics rather than staying neatly in one world.
O'Higgins took part in the revolutionary period in Ireland and was later active in republican politics, but he is also remembered for his writing: poems, songs, ballads, historical pieces, and nationalist journalism. His work often drew on Irish history, faith, memory, and popular tradition, giving it a strong emotional pull as well as a clear political purpose.
He died on March 10, 1963. For readers today, his appeal lies in the way he captures a particular strand of Irish cultural life—earnest, lyrical, and deeply bound up with the story of independence.