Brian O'Nolan
Brian O'Nolan (Irish: Brian Ó Nualláin; 5 October 1911
– 1 April 1966) was an Irish novelist, playwright and
satirist, considered a major figure in twentieth century
Irish literature. Born in Strabane, County Tyrone, he is
regarded as a key figure in postmodern literature.[1] His
English language novels, such as At Swim-Two-Birds, and
The Third Policeman, were written under the pen name
Flann O'Brien. His many satirical columns in The Irish
Times and an Irish language novel An Béal Bocht were
written under the name Myles na gCopaleen.
O'Nolan’s novels have attracted a wide following for their
bizarre humour and modernist metafiction. As a nov-
elist, O'Nolan was influenced by James Joyce. He was
nonetheless sceptical of the cult of Joyce which overshad-
ows much of Irish writing, saying “I declare to God if I
hear that name Joyce one more time I will surely froth at
the gob.”
1 Biography
1.1 School days
O'Nolan attended Blackrock College where he was taught
English by President of the College, and future Cardinal,
John Charles McQuaid.[2]
According to Farragher and Wyer:
Dr McQuaid himself was recognised as an outstanding
English teacher, and when one of his students, Brian
O’Nolan, alias Myles na gCopaleen, boasted in his ab-
sence to the rest of the class that there were only two
people in the College who could write English properly
namely, Dr McQuaid and himself, they had no hesitation
in agreeing. And Dr McQuaid did Myles the honour of
publishing a little verse by him in the first issue of the
revived College Annual (1930) – this being Myles’ first
published item.[3]
The poem itself, “Ad Astra”, read as follows:
Ah! When the skies at night
Are damascened with gold,
Methinks the endless sight
Eternity unrolled.[1]
1. ^ Cite error: The named reference sea-
mussweeney was invoked but never de-
fined (see the help page).
1
1.2 Student years
O'Nolan wrote prodigiously during his years as a stu-
dent at University College, Dublin (UCD), where he
was an active, and controversial, member of the well
known Literary and Historical Society. He contributed to
the student magazine Comhthrom Féinne (Fair Play) un-
der various guises, in particular the pseudonym Brother
Barnabas. Significantly, he composed a story during
this same period titled “Scenes in a Novel (probably
posthumous) by Brother Barnabas”, which anticipates
many of the ideas and themes later to be found in his
novel, At Swim-Two-Birds. In it, the putative author of
the story finds himself in riotous conflict with his char-
acters, who are determined to follow their own paths re-
gardless of the author’s design. For example, the villain of
the story, one Carruthers McDaid, intended by the author
as the lowest form of scoundrel, “meant to sink slowly
to absolutely the last extremities of human degradation”,
instead ekes out a modest living selling cats to elderly
ladies and becomes a covert churchgoer without the au-
thor’s consent. Meanwhile, the story’s hero, Shaun Svool-
ish, chooses a comfortable, bourgeois life rather than ro-
mance and heroics:
'I may be a prig', he replied, 'but I know what I
like. Why can't I marry Bridie and have a shot
at the Civil Service?'
'Railway accidents are fortunately rare', I said
finally, 'but when they happen they are horrible.
Think it over.'
In 1934 O'Nolan and his student friends founded a short-
lived magazine called Blather. The writing here, though
clearly bearing the marks of youthful bravado, again
somewhat anticipates O'Nolan’s later work, in this case
his Cruiskeen Lawn column as Myles na gCopaleen:
Blather is here. As we advance to make our
bow, you will look in vain for signs of servility
or of any evidence of a desire to please. We are
an arrogant and depraved body of men. We are
as proud as bantams and as vain as peacocks.
Blather doesn't care. A sardonic laugh escapes
us as we bow, cruel and cynical hounds that we
are. It is a terrible laugh, the laugh of lost men.
Do you get the smell of porter?
2 2 JOURNALISM

O'Nolan, who had studied German in Dublin, may have
spent at least parts of 1933 and 1934 in Germany, namely
in Cologne and Bonn, although details are uncertain and
contested. He claimed himself, in 1965, that he “spent
many months in the Rhineland and at Bonn drifting away
from the strict pursuit of study.” So far, no external ev-
idence has turned up that would back up this sojourn
(or an also anecdotal short-term marriage to one 'Clara
Ungerland' from Cologne). In their biography Costello
and van de Kamp, discussing the inconclusive evidence,
state that "...it must remain a mystery, in the absence of
documented evidence an area of mere speculation, rep-
resenting in a way the other mysteries of life of Brian
O'Nolan that still defy the researcher.”[4]
working in the Department of Local Government. From
the time of his father’s death in 1937, he supported his
brothers and sisters, eleven in total, on his income.[6] On
2 December 1948 he married Evelyn McDonnell, a typ-
ist in the Department of Local Government. On his mar-
riage he moved from his parental home in Blackrock to
nearby Merrion Avenue, living at several further locations
in South Dublin before his death.[7] The couple had no
children.
1.5 Health and death

1.3 Civil service

A key feature of O'Nolan’s personal situation was his sta-

tus as an Irish government civil servant, who, as a re-
sult of his father’s relatively early death, was obliged to
support ten siblings, including an elder brother who was
an unsuccessful writer. Given the desperate poverty of
Ireland in the 1930s to 1960s, a job as a civil servant
was considered prestigious, being both secure and pen-
sionable with a reliable cash income in a largely agrar-
ian economy. The Irish civil service has been, since the
Irish Civil War, fairly strictly apolitical: Civil Service
Regulations and the service’s internal culture generally
prohibit Civil Servants above the level of clerical offi-
cer from publicly expressing political views. As a practi-
cal matter, this meant that writing in newspapers on cur-
rent events was, during O'Nolan’s career, generally pro-
hibited without departmental permission on an article-by-
article, publication-by-publication basis. This fact alone
contributed to O'Nolan’s use of pseudonyms, though he
had started to create character-authors even in his pre-
civil service writings.
In reality, that O'Nolan was Flann O'Brien and Myles Grave of Brian O’Nolan/Brian Ó Nualláin, his parents and his
wife, Deans Grange Cemetery, Dublin
na gCopaleen was an open secret, largely disregarded
by his colleagues, who found his writing very entertain-
ing; this was a function of the makeup of the civil ser- O'Nolan was an alcoholic for much of his life and suf-
vice, which recruited leading graduates by competitive fered from ill health in his later years.[8] He suffered from
examination—it was an erudite and relatively liberal body cancer of the throat and died from a heart attack on the
in the Ireland of the 1930s to the 1970s. Nonetheless, morning of 1 April 1966.[6]
had O'Nolan forced the issue, by using one of his known
pseudonyms or his own name for an article that seri-
ously upset politicians, consequences would likely have 2 Journalism
followed—hence the acute pseudonym problem in at-
tributing his work today. He was, indeed, forced to retire
from the civil service in 1953.[5] As Myles na gCopaleen (or Myles na Gopaleen), O'Nolan
wrote short columns for The Irish Times, mostly in En-
glish but also in Irish, which showed a manic imagination
1.4 Personal life that still astonishes.
His newspaper column, “Cruiskeen Lawn” (transliterated
Although O'Nolan was a well known character in Dublin from the Irish crúiscín lán, “full/brimming small-jug”),
during his lifetime, relatively little is known about his has its origins in a series of pseudonymous letters written
personal life. He joined the Irish civil service in 1935, to The Irish Times, originally intended to mock the pub-

lication in that same newspaper of a poem, “Spraying the
Potatoes”, by the writer Patrick Kavanagh:
The letters, some written by O'Nolan and some not, con-
tinued under a variety of false names, using various styles
and assaulting varied topics, including other letters by the
same authors. The letters were a hit with the readers of
The Irish Times, and R. M. Smyllie, then editor of the
newspaper, shortly invited O'Nolan to contribute a col-
umn.
The first column appeared on 4 October 1940, under the
pseudonym “An Broc” (“The Badger”). In all subsequent
columns the name “Myles na gCopaleen” (“Myles of the
Little Horses” or “Myles of the Ponies”) was used. Ini-
tially, the column was composed in Irish, but soon En-
glish was used primarily, with occasional smatterings of
German, French or Latin. The sometimes intensely satir-
ical column’s targets included the Dublin literary elite,
Irish language revivalists, the Irish government, and the
“Plain People of Ireland.” The following column excerpt,
in which the author wistfully recalls a brief sojourn in
Germany as a student, illustrates the biting humor and
scorn that informed the Cruiskeen Lawn writings:
Ó Nuallain/na gCopaleen wrote Cruiskeen Lawn for The
Irish Times until the year of his death, 1966.
He contributed substantially to Envoy (he was “hon-
orary editor” for the special number featuring James
Joyce[9] ) and formed part of the Envoy / McDaid’s pub
circle of artistic and literary figures that included Patrick
Kavanagh, Anthony Cronin, Brendan Behan, and artist
Desmond MacNamara who, at the author’s request, cre-
ated the book cover for the first edition of The Dalkey
Archive. O'Nolan also contributed to The Bell. He
also wrote a column titled Bones of Contention for the
Nationalist and Leinster Times under the pseudonym
George Knowall; those were collected in the volume
Myles Away From Dublin.
Most of his later writings were occasional pieces pub-
lished in periodicals, which explains why his work has
only recently come to enjoy the considered attention of
literary scholars. O'Nolan was notorious for his prolific
use and creation of pseudonyms for much of his writ-
ing, including short stories, essays, and letters to edi-
tors, which has rendered the compilation of complete
bibliography of his writings an almost impossible task.
He allegedly would write letters to the editor of The
Irish Times complaining about his own articles published
in that newspaper, for example in his regular Cruiskeen
Lawn column, which gave rise to rampant speculation as
to whether the author of a published letter existed or not.
Not surprisingly, little of O'Nolan’s pseudonymous activ-
ity has been verified.
3
3 Etymology
O'Nolan’s journalistic pseudonym is taken from a charac-
ter (Myles-na-Coppaleen) in Dion Boucicault's play The
Colleen Bawn, who is the stereotypical charming Irish
rogue. At one point in the play, he sings the ancient an-
them of the Irish Brigades on the Continent, the song “An
Crúiscín Lán” (hence the name of the column in the Irish
Times).
Capall is the Irish word for “horse” (from Vulgar Latin ca-
ballus), and 'een' (spelled ín in Irish) is a diminutive suf-
fix. The prefix na gCapaillín is the genitive plural in his
Ulster Irish dialect (the Standard Irish would be “Myles
na gCapaillíní"), so Myles na gCopaleen means “Myles
of the Little Horses”. Capaillín is also the Irish word for
"pony", as in the name of Ireland’s most famous and an-
cient native horse breed, the Connemara pony.
O'Nolan himself always insisted on the translation “Myles
of the Ponies”, saying that he did not see why the princi-
pality of the pony should be subjugated to the imperialism
of the horse.
4 Fiction
4.1 At Swim-Two-Birds
Main article: At Swim-Two-Birds
At Swim-Two-Birds works entirely with borrowed (and
stolen) characters from other fiction and legend, on the
grounds that there are already far too many existing fic-
tional characters.
At Swim-Two-Birds is now recognised as one of the most
significant modernist novels before 1945. Indeed it can
be seen as a pioneer of postmodernism, although the aca-
demic Keith Hopper has argued that The Third Police-
man, superficially less radical, is actually a more deeply
subversive and proto-postmodernist work, and as such,
possibly a representation of literary nonsense.
At Swim-Two-Birds was one of the last books that James
Joyce read and he praised it to O'Nolan’s friends—praise
which was subsequently used for years as a blurb on
reprints of O'Brien’s novels. The book was also praised
by Graham Greene, who was working as a reader when
the book was put forward for publication and also the Ar-
gentine writer Jorge Luis Borges, whose work might be
said to bear some similarities to that of O'Brien.
The British writer Anthony Burgess stated, “If we don't
cherish the work of Flann O'Brien we are stupid fools who
don't deserve to have great men. Flann O'Brien is a very
great man.” Burgess included At Swim-Two-Birds on his
list of Ninety-Nine Novels: The Best in English since 1939.
At Swim-Two-Birds has had a troubled publication his-
4 6 LIST OF WORKS

tory in the USA. Southern Illinois University Press has

set up a Flann O'Brien Center and begun publishing all
of O'Nolan’s works. Consequently, academic attention
to the novel has increased.

4.2 The Third Policeman and The Dalkey

Archive
Main articles: The Third Policeman and The Dalkey
Archive

The rejection of The Third Policeman by publishers in his Blue plaque for O'Nolan
lifetime had a profound effect on O'Nolan. This is per-
haps reflected in The Dalkey Archive, in which sections of
The Third Policeman are recycled almost word for word, The Third Policeman and The Dalkey Archive, appear in
namely the atomic theory and the character De Selby. his own The Widow’s Son. In both The Third Police-
The Third Policeman has a fantastic plot of a murderous man and The Widow’s Son, De Selby is the subject of
protagonist let loose on a strange world peopled by fat long pseudo-scholarly footnotes. This is fitting, because
policemen, played against a satire of academic debate on O'Brien himself made free use of characters invented by
an eccentric philosopher called De Selby. Sergeant Pluck other writers, claiming that there were too many fictional
introduces the atomic theory of the bicycle. characters as is. O'Brien was also known for pulling the
reader’s leg by concocting elaborate conspiracy theories.
The Dalkey Archive features a character who encounters a
penitent, elderly and apparently unbalanced James Joyce In 2011 the '100 Myles: The International Flann O'Brien
(who dismissively refers to his work by saying 'I have Centenary Conference' (24–27 July) was held at The De-
published little' and, furthermore, does not seem aware partment of English Studies at the University of Vienna,
of having written and published Finnegans Wake) work- the success of which led to the establishment of 'The In-
[12]
ing as an assistant barman or 'curate'—another small joke ternational Flann O'Brien Society'. In October 2011,
relating to Joyce’s alleged priestly ambitions—in the re- Trinity College Dublin hosted a weekend of events cel-
[13]
sort of Skerries. The scientist De Selby seeks to suck ebrating the centenary of his birth. A commemora-
all of the air out of the world, and Policeman Pluck tive 55c stamp featuring a portrait of O'Nolan’s head as
[14]
learns of the mollycule theory from Sergeant Fottrell. The drawn by his brother Micheál Ó Nualláin was issued
[15][16][17]
Dalkey Archive was adapted for the stage in 1965 by Hugh for the same occasion. This occurred some 52
Leonard as The Saints Go Cycling In.[10] years after the writer’s famous criticism of the Irish postal
service.[18] A bronze sculpture of the writer stands outside
the Palace Bar on Dublin’s Fleet Street.[19] Kevin Myers
4.3 Other fiction said, “Had Myles escaped he might have become a lit-
erary giant.”[20] Fintan O'Toole said of Nolan “he could
Other books written by O'Nolan include An Béal Bocht— have been a celebrated national treasure – but he was far
translated from the Irish as The Poor Mouth—(a par- too radical for that.”[5] An award winning radio play by
ody of Tomás Ó Criomhthain's autobiography An t- Albrecht Behmel called Ist das Ihr Fahrrad, Mr. O'Brien?
Oileánach—in English The Islander), and The Hard Life brought his life and work to the attention of a broader
(a fictional autobiography meant to be his “misterpiece”). German audience in 2003.[21]
Faustus Kelly, a play, was unsuccessful in 1943.[11] O'Nolan has also been semi-seriously referred to as
a “scientific prophet” in relation to his writings on
In 1956, O'Nolan was also co-producer of a production
thermodynamics, quaternion theory and atomic the-
for RTÉ, the Irish broadcaster, of 3 Radio Ballets, which
ory.[22]
was just what it said it was—a dance performance in three
parts designed for and performed on radio. It is believed In 2012, on the 101st anniversary of his birth, O'Nolan
that there has been no repeat broadcast. was honoured with a commemorative Google Doo-
dle.[23][24]

5 Legacy
6 List of works
O'Brien influenced the science fiction writer and con-
spiracy theory satirist Robert Anton Wilson, who has
O'Brien’s character De Selby, an obscure intellectual in As Myles na gCopaleen

• An Béal Bocht / The Poor Mouth (Irish: 1941), (En-
glish: 1973)
Selections of Cruiskeen Lawn columns have been pub-
lished in seven collections:
• The Best of Myles
• The Hair of the Dogma
• Further Cuttings from Cruiskeen Lawn
• Flann O'Brien at War: Myles na gCopaleen 1940–
1945 (also published as At War)
• Myles Away from Dublin
• Myles Before Myles
• The Various Lives of Keats and Chapman
As Flann O'Brien
• At Swim-Two-Birds (1939)
• The Hard Life (1962)
• The Dalkey Archive (1964)
• The Third Policeman (written 1939–40, published
1968)
• Slattery’s Sago Saga (unfinished)
• A Bash in the Tunnel (Brighton: Clifton Books
1970), essays on James Joyce by Flann O’Brien,
Patrick Kavanagh, Samuel Beckett, Ulick O'Connor
& Edna O’Brien. John Ryan (editor).
• Rhapsody in St Stephen’s Green (adaptation of
Pictures from the Insects’ Life)[25]
7 Further reading
• Brooker, Joseph, 2004. Flann O'Brien. Northcote
House Publishers Ltd. ISBN 978-0746310816
• Clune, Anne, and Tess Hurson, eds., 1997. Conjur-
ing Complexities: Essays on Flann O'Brien. The In-
stitute of Irish Studies, The Queens Univ. of Belfast.
ISBN 0-85389-678-X
• Cronin, Anthony, 2003. No Laughing Matter: The
Life and Times of Flann O'Brien. New Island Books.
ISBN 1-904301-37-1
• Curran, Steven ‘"No, This is Not From The Bell":
Brian O’Nolan’s 1943 Cruiskeen Lawn Anthology’,
in Éire-Ireland, 32, 2 & 3 (Summer/Fall 1997), pp.
79–92.
5
• Curran, Steven ‘Designs on an “Elegant Utopia":
Brian O’Nolan and Vocational Organisation', Bul-
lán, V, 2 (Winter/Spring 2001), pp. 87–116.
• Curran, Steven ‘"Could Paddy Leave Off from
Copying Just for Five Minutes?": Brian O’Nolan
and Éire’s Beveridge Plan’, Irish University Review,
31, 2 (Autumn/Winter 2001), pp. 353–76.
• Guinness, Jonathan 1997. Requiem for a family
business. Macmillan, London. ISBN 0-333-66191-
5 at pp. 8–9.
• Hopper, Keith, 1995. A Portrait of the Artist as a
Young Postmodernist. Cork University Press. ISBN
1-85918-042-6
• Hopper, Keith, 2009. Flann O'Brien: A Portrait of
the Artist as a Young Post-Modernist. Cork Univer-
sity Press. ISBN 978-1-85918-447-9
• Johnston, Denis, 1977. “Myles na Gopaleen”, in
Ronsley, Joseph, ed., “Myth and Reality in Irish Lit-
erature”. Wilfrid Laurier University Press. ISBN
0-88920-039-4
• Jordan, John, 2006. “Flann O'Brien"; “A Letter
to Myles"; and “One of the Saddest Books Ever
to Come Out of Ireland"; in Crystal Clear, Lilliput
Press. ISBN 1-84351-066-9
• Long, Maebh, 2014. Assembling Flann O'Brien.
Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 978-1-4411-8705-5
• “An Interview with Desmond MacNamara: The
Journal of Irish Literature January 1981
• Murphy, Neil, 2011. “Flann O’Brien’s The Hard
Life: The Gaze of the Medusa,” Review of Contem-
porary Fiction. Fall 2011: 148–161
• Murphy, Neil, 2005. “Flann O’Brien,” The Review
of Contemporary Fiction. Fall 2005, Vol XXV, No.
3: 7–41
• Nolan, Val, 2012. “Flann, Fantasy, and Science
Fiction: O'Brien’s Surprising Synthesis,” Review of
Contemporary Fiction. Spring 2012, Vol. XXXI,
No.2: 178–190.
• O'Keeffe, Timothy, ed., 1973. “Myles: Portraits of
Brian O'Nolan”. Martin Brian and O'Keeffe. ISBN
0856161500
• Riordan, Arthur, and Bell Helicopter, 2005. Im-
probable Frequency. Nick Hern Books. ISBN 1-
85459-875-9.
• Vintaloro, Giordano, 2009. L'A(rche)tipico Brian
O'Nolan. Comico e riso dalla tradizione al post-.
[Italian: The A(rche)typical Brian O'Nolan. Comic
and Laughter from Tradition to Post-] Trieste: Bat-
tello Stampatore. ISBN 88-87208-50-6.
• Wappling, Eva, 1984. Four legendary Figures in At
Swim-Two-Birds. Uppsala. ISBN 91-554-1595-4.
6 9
8 See also
• Literary and Historical Society, University College
Dublin
• Bloomsday
9 References
[1] “Celebrating Flann O'Brien”, Los Angeles Times, 13 Oc-
tober 2011.
[2] Sean Farragher, Annraoi Wyer, Blackrock College 1860-
1995, Paraclete Press, Dublin, 1995.
[3] Reproduced at “Flann O'Brien’s English Teacher: John
Charles McQuaid”. seamussweeney.wordpress.com. May
1, 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2016.
[4] Peter Costello, Peter van de Kamp: Flann O'Brien – An
Illustrated Biography, Bloomsbury, London 1987 ISBN 0-
7475-0129-7 p. 45-50
[5] O'Toole, Fintan. “The Fantastic Flann O'Brien”, The
Irish Times, 1 October 2011, retrieved 2 October 2011.
“A combination of his gradually deepening alcoholism
and his habit of making derogatory remarks about senior
politicians in his newspaper columns led to his forced re-
tirement from the civil service in 1953. (He departed, re-
called a colleague, “in a final fanfare of f***s”.)"
[6] Ó Nualláin, Micheál (1 October 2011). “The Brother:
memories of Brian”. The Irish Times. Irish Times Trust.
Retrieved 1 October 2011. In 1966 Brian was undergoing
X-ray treatment for throat cancer. He was saved from the
agony of dying from throat cancer by having a major heart
attack. He died in that early morning of April 1st (April
fool’s day, his final joke).
[7] “Flann O’Brien: Life”. Ricorso. Retrieved 13 October
2009.
[8] Encyclopedia of British humorists ... – Google Books.
Books.google.com. February 1996. ISBN 978-0-8240-
5990-3. Retrieved 13 October 2009.
[9] ‘In 1951, whilst I was editor of the Irish literary period-
ical Envoy, I decided that it would be a fitting thing to
commemorate the tenth anniversary of the death of James
Joyce by bringing out a special number dedicated to him
which would reflect the attitudes and opinions of his fellow
countrymen towards their illustrious compatriot. To this
end I began by inviting Brian Nolan to act as honorary
editor for this particular issue. His own genius closely
matched, without in anyway resembling or attempting to
counterfeit, Joyce’s. But if the mantle of Joyce (or should
we say the waistcoat?) were ever to be passed on, no-
body would be half so deserving of it as the man whom
under his other guises as Flan [sic] O’Brien and Myles Na
gCopaleen, proved himself incontestably to be the most
creative writer and mordant wit that Ireland had given us
since Shem the Penman himself.' – John Ryan, Introduc-
tion to A Bash in the Tunnel (1970) John Ryan (1925–92)
Ricorso.net
REFERENCES
[10] “Irish Playography – Hugh Leonard”. Retrieved 21 April
2013.
[11] Sansom, Ian (30 September 2011). “Imagine: you're bet-
ter than James Joyce; you end up like Miles Kington”. The
Guardian. Guardian Media Group. Retrieved 30 Septem-
ber 2011.
[12] “website”. Univie.ac.at. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
[13] Nihill, Cian. “Trinity celebrates Flann O'Brien cente-
nary”, The Irish Times, 15 October 2011.
[14] “Seven Days”, The Irish Times, 8 October 2011.
[15] “Writer O'Nolan honoured by stamp”, The Irish Times, 4
October 2011.
[16] Sweeney, Ken. “Stamp of approval on Flann O'Brien’s
centenary”, The Belfast Telegraph, 5 October 2011.
[17] McManus, Darragh. “Flann O'Brien: lovable literary ge-
nius”, The Guardian, 5 October 2011.
[18] McNally, Frank. “An Post gets the message, gives Myles a
stamp”, The Irish Times, 5 October 2011. “In the course
of the 1959 diatribe, he decried the low aesthetic stan-
dards of Irish philately and, calling for a better class of
artist to be hired, suggested future stamps might also cap-
ture more realistic scenes from Irish life, such as “a Feena
Fayl big shot fixing a job for a relative”."
[19] Nihill, Cian. “Palace of inspiration: Sculptures of writers
unveiled”, The Irish Times, 6 October 2011.
[20] Myers, Kevin. “Had Myles escaped he might have be-
come a literary giant”, Irish Independent, 30 September
2011.
[21] “Akademie der Darstellenden Künste”. Darstellen-
dekuenste.de. Retrieved 2012-05-02.
[22] Keating, Sara. “Trinity plays host to Flann 100 as admir-
ers celebrate comic genius”, The Irish Times, 17 Octo-
ber 2011. “In a twist of Mylesian absurdity, however, the
highlight of the day’s cultural programme proved to be a
science lecture by Prof Dermot Diamond, in which Dia-
mond convincingly argued that O'Brien was not just a lit-
erary genius but a scientific prophet. Diamond set recent
experiments in the fields of thermodynamics, quaternion
theory and atomic theory against excerpts from O'Brien’s
books, suggesting that O'Brien anticipated some of the
greatest scientific discoveries of the 20th century.”
[23] “Google celebrates Irish author Brian O’Nolan in doodle
today”. Silicon Republic. 5 October 2012. Retrieved 5
October 2012.
[24] "[illustration from] Who’s that Irish person in today’s
Google Doodle?". The Daily Edge. 5 Oct 2012. Re-
trieved 3 August 2015. It would have been Irish writer
Flann O’Brien’s (aka Brian O’Nolan) 101st birthday to-
day. Sound of Google to give him his own doodle for his
birthday.Article
[25] O'Brien, Flann; Tracy, Robert (1994). Rhapsody in
Stephen’s green: the insect play. Lilliput Press. ISBN 978-
1-874675-27-3.
 7

10 External links
• Works by Brian O'Nolan at Open Library

• Works by or about Brian O'Nolan in libraries

(WorldCat catalog)

• Brian O'Nolan Papers, 1914–1966 at Southern Illi-

nois University Carbondale, Special Collections Re-
search Center

• Flann O'Brien Papers, 1881–1991 at Boston Col-

lege, John J. Burns Library for Special Collections

• '100 Myles’ & 'The International Flann O'Brien So-

ciety'
8 11 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES

11 Text and image sources, contributors, and licenses

11.1 Text
• Brian O'Nolan Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_O'Nolan?oldid=797891848 Contributors: John K, Gh, Roachmeister, Di-
madick, Bearcat, Robbot, Seglea, Geogre, GreatWhiteNortherner, David Gerard, Cobra libre, Alison, Joconnor, Fergananim, Andycjp,
Quadell, Ryano, Canterbury Tail, D6, Ham II, EugeneZelenko, Rich Farmbrough, Moilleadóir, Pablo X, Filiocht, Elipongo, Palmiro, Man
vyi, Colmmack, Acb, Rye1967, Albrecht Conz, Babajobu, Mysdaao, AndreasPraefcke, Stemonitis, Angr, Woohookitty, Ardfern, Ferg2k,
Scm83x, Siqbal, Rjwilmsi, Koavf, Vegaswikian, Bdegfcunbbfv, Pelikan4001, FlaBot, Oliver Chettle, Maire, Darranc, Bgwhite, Eamon-
nPKeane, Roboto de Ajvol, YurikBot, Spleodrach, Padraig, Yllosubmarine, Michaelcollins, Tony1, Zwobot, Kyle Barbour, Homagetocat-
alonia, Thnidu, Mike Selinker, Wk 85, Rms125a@hotmail.com, Philip Stevens, NickelShoe, SmackBot, Roryjohnston, Rbreen, Setanta747
(locked), Eskimbot, Jsch, Kintetsubuffalo, Lexo, Buck Mulligan, Bluebot, Gold heart, Thumperward, Djln, Deli nk, Sadads, Dumpendebat,
Jack Haddad, OrphanBot, Curly Turkey, Ceoil, Michael David, Ser Amantio di Nicolao, John, Gobonobo, Mattiuscn, Syrcatbot, Dl2000,
Ewulp, CmdrObot, Theoh, Jim Bruce, Cydebot, Pais, KESTREL, Sirmylesnagopaleentheda, Random user 1027, Jlpspinto, Kingstown-
galway, Thijs!bot, Llewellyn of the Lakes, P.L.A.R., Skomorokh, Sarah777, .anacondabot, T@nn, Hullaballoo Wolfowitz, Vintagekits,
BillDeanCarter, Waacstats, Cailil, Exiledone, Warchef, Ekotkie, Pleidhce, Scewing, GrahamHardy, Pnotla, Rodolph, Deor, One Night In
Hackney, TXiKiBoT, Tavix, Grandpa Moses, Technopat, ANB, JoxerD, Sanfranman59, PateraIncus, Legoktm, Eaespinoza, SieBot, King-
bird1, Paddytm, Ulysses54, Joe barry80, SSCOhA, ClueBot, Icarusgeek, RashersTierney, Tigerboy1966, Arthur Riordan, ArchieHall,
Mushod, Jeanenawhitney, Mark Sales, DumZiBoT, XLinkBot, MystBot, Good Olfactory, Kbdankbot, Addbot, Woland1234, Lightbot,
Luckas-bot, Yobot, Hohenloh, Nichevo75, Materialscientist, Zad68, Clutchy, Lisaw98, FrescoBot, Anna Roy, Citation bot 1, DrilBot,
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iHannibal, BattyBot, ~riley, Toploftical, Downunderupabove, EICClerk, Claíomh Solais, VIAFbot, Dkeyesbyrne, Biezo57, DannyMacY,
Jkjacobs1, Joanne Walsh, Hks25, Anne M Kletcha, Skunkworks Sam, KasparBot, Leschnei, JJMC89 bot, Bender the Bot, Sciencenut877,
Magic links bot and Anonymous: 123

11.2 Images
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• File:ONolan_plaque,_Strabane_(02),_January_2010.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/67/ONolan_
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Contributors:
Created from scratch in Adobe Illustrator. Based on Image:Question book.png created by User:Equazcion Original artist:
Tkgd2007
• File:Wikiquote-logo.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/fa/Wikiquote-logo.svg License: Public domain
Contributors: Own work Original artist: Rei-artur

11.3 Content license

• Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0