My name is Breda (Brigid) Halligan. I was called after the saintly Kildare woman but I’d hazard a guess that the name is the only thing that she and I have in common. The youngest of eight, I was born in the Rotunda and spent the first twelve years of my life living in Liffey Street and attending school in Mount Carmel, King’s Inn Street. From Liffey Street, I moved to Leonard’s Corner in Dublin 8. Subsequently, I lived and worked in London and California.
I’ve worked in many different roles over the years but it was working as a Special Needs Assistant in a DEIS school that brought me the greatest joy. I reluctantly retired recently from my position and am still in the process of adapting to this new stage of my life. I have discovered that volunteering is something that I really enjoy doing. It makes me feel good and hopefully it is making a small difference in the world.
I love movies, live theatre, puzzles, knitting and reading. And I love going on sun holidays. There are many places I would like to see in the future including Japan, India, Australia and I hope that someday I can travel to Scandinavia to see the spectacular Northern Lights.
I found the workshops with Veronica to be challenging, and sometimes extremely emotional. I was very moved by the openness and honesty of the other participants and am grateful to them for their willingness to share some very personal experiences. Some of the themes we worked on caused me to reflect on parts of my life that I was reluctant to revisit, while there were others that brought happiness, nostalgia, and a sense of achievement.