As well as writing, Christy also enjoyed painting, which he accomplished with his left foot. The family built him a separate house in their back yard which became his studio.
But, as he grew older, he found he had less and less in common with his siblings and began to slowly withdraw from everyday life. He also encouraged and supported Christy in the writing of his first novel "My Left Foot" which was published in 1954.įor many years, Christy attended the clinic that Collis set up and was tutored at home in subjects including philosophy, mathematics, literature and language skills. Collis and Christy became lifelong friends and he introduced him to some of the great writers of the time, including Cecil Day-Lewis and Frank O’Connor. He decided to set up a treatment centre for Cerebral Palsy in Ireland and Christy would be his first patient.
She had brought along the writer and doctor Robert Collis who listened to the unique story of Christy and his mother. When Christy’s mother was in the hospital giving birth, she met Lady Almoner who was working in the tenements in inner city Dublin. His brothers included him in all their activities and made him a go-cart to get around in. From that moment on his mother worked tirelessly, teaching him the alphabet, which he slowly copied, holding the chalk between his toes. When he was five years old he famously grabbed a piece of chalk from his sister with his left foot and made a mark on a slate. Doctors believed that he was also intellectually disabled, but Christy’s mother did not believe them and continued to teach him, speak to him and work with him. He was one of 13 surviving children of Bridget and Paddy Brown.ĭisabled from birth by cerebral palsy, for years he was unable to speak or make deliberate movements. Christy Brown was born in Crumlin in Dublin on the 5th of June 1932.
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