Irish America

Irish America

Beirut Hostage

To Hell and Back

By Jane Campbell

November December 1993

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Ex-hostage Brian Keenan speaks to Jane Campbell about his book, his experiences, and his life post-imprisonment. In 1985 Brian Keenan, feeling that his life was stagnant, left his native Belfast for a teaching job in Beirut. That he both sought and found change and a challenge is an irony not lost on him, but the change — capture and imprisonment by fundamentalist Shi'ite … [Read more...] about To Hell and Back

First Word: The Belly of the Beast

By Niall O’Dowd, Founding Publisher
November 1992

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Prison literature from John Mitchell's Jail Journal to the prison diary of Bobby Sands has a revered place in Irish literature and the latest addition, though written from a cell in far-off Lebanon, is easily a match for the best. I highly recommend An Evil Cradling, the story of Irish's hostage Brian Keenan and his five-year struggle for survival in various Beirut hellholes. … [Read more...] about First Word: The Belly of the Beast