Veronica Breen Hogle

As German tanks rolled across Europe, trains jammed with people steamed into Dachau Camp, and Churchill became prime minister of England, I was born in Waterford, Ireland, on May 9, 1940.

Two years later, war still waged in the world, and in our house. My mother packed my two brothers and me into a pram one night and left my father because of his excessive drinking and violence. To keep us from going into orphanages, a number of families took us in. I was reared by an older couple and the neighbors who often said, I was a handful. I also lived with my grandmother on an isolated farm without electricity or running water. As I was the only child for miles around, I always felt lonely when I looked outside, because all I saw were gray rock walls and matching clouds. In school, I liked writing compositions. The teacher often read them aloud to the class, sending me a message that I could write.

When I was 17, I got a lift to Dublin and worked as a hairdresser for seven years. My major joy was hitch-hiking to the music festivals on the weekends, and dancing in the Crystal Ballroom every night I could scrape up ten shillings. I hitch-hiked to France and was so taken with it, I went to live as an Au Pair and study French in Paris. After 18 months in France, I said yes - to a one-way ticket to America.

In a creative writing course, I learned that it is the character(s) who keep readers turning the pages. The mother with whom I didn’t live, my grandmother, the many families and neighbors who took me under their wings are my vibrant characters. We lived in the picturesque town of Bagenalstown and the historic village of Graiguenamanagh, situated on the River Barrow, at the foot of Mount Leinster.

The late Irish poet, John B. Keane said, “ There’s nothing sadder than to see a body being lowered into the ground, without a record remaining. Leave an account of yourself. Write a book.” Part of this statement haunts me because the father I met only twice, is buried in a pauper’s grave somewhere in England, without a record remaining. The more I write, the more I remember, the deeper I go to reveal emotions in relationships. I write so my grandchildren and great-grandchildren will know a bit about my life before I came to America. I’d like them to have a glimpse of the Ireland and the people I knew and loved before television, a time of oil lamps, and of baking fruitcakes over the open fire. A time when only the doctor, hospital and a few merchants had phones, when all there was to do was talk, listen, and connect, in person. I’m taking Keane’s advice to leave an account of myself. I’m writing a book.

Veronica is a frequent contributor to The Buffalo News (NY), Celtic Heritage Magazine, (NS., Canada) and The Carlow Nationalist, Ireland. She has also been published in Ireland ‘s Own Magazine, Wexford, Ireland, Miniature Donkey Talk., MD. She received honorable mention in the 2005 Buffalo News writers’ contest.

Story ID:	263
Written by:	OurEcho Admin (bio, link, contact, other stories)
Story type:	In The Spotlight
Location:	Buffalo New York USA
Year:	2006
Person:	Veronica Breen Hogle