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Article 28 of 146
This article first appeared in the "Valley Lives" column in the January 14, 2026 issue of the The Low Down to Hull and Back News.
Reprinted with permission. Search complete list of Low Down Articles.
o o o
Brian Doyle
Brian Doyle: A life written in laughter, heart, and the Hills
By Phil Jenkins
It is a rare author who can make you laugh out loud through their words on the page. And then make you cry on the next. Luckily for us here in the Hills, just such an author has been living amongst us for many years: Brian Doyle. More than that, Brian has made us aware of Ottawa and the Gatineau Valley's history through quietly enchanting, character- driven storytelling. Brian was ostensibly a writer for children and young adults, but children of all ages, from nine to 90, enjoy him.
Brian was born in Ottawa's Lowertown in the summer of 1935. Educated at Carleton University, where he got a bachelor's degree in journalism and a master's degree in English, he changed sides and became an educator at Glebe High School. (Often, while participating in Author's Day at the Wakefield Market, grown men and women would remind Brian with a smile on their faces that he had taught them. "Best teacher I ever had," they would always say.)
I met Brian in 1991, when I published my first book, at a joint reading. Thereafter, we came together on a regular basis, both as fellow authors and as friends. I had the honour of emceeing his 75th birthday party, where I met his extended family, and we sang together several times at theatrical events where Brian could indulge his love of the old tunes.
After many years in Ottawa and childhood summers spent in the long-time family cottage in the Hills near Low, Brian moved into Chelsea, living in a house at the top of a hill off Hwy 105. The summer he turned 90 we again sat together at the Wakefield Market where a steady stream of admirers came up to him with hellos and best wishes – compliments on his books. I asked him if he was going to have a big party. "No, that would possibly see me off," he said, laughing. But celebrate he did, with family and a close circle of friends, amazed and grateful that he made it that far.
Brian published his first book, 'Hey, Dad!' in 1978, aged 43. For the next four decades he never stopped writing, including in the last few years books and chapbooks of poetry. In all, there were 13 novels after 'Hey, Dad!' – most of them with young boys as the book's protagonists; adolescents coping with growing up. He also featured young women, as in 'Mary Ann Alice'. In his last novel, 'Picking Berries', he took the point of view of an older man ruminating on his life. Households throughout the Gatineau Valley, Ottawa, across the country and abroad have Brian's books on their shelves.
As his reputation grew, Brian gathered awards and interest from people in other fields, particularly film and theatre. 'Angel Square' was made into a film with the National Film Board. The director and play developer, Janet Irwin, began adapting Brian's books in 1987, starting with 'Angel Square' and later 'Easy Avenue'. This summer her adaptation of 'Mary Ann Alice' will be performed. "Wise, human, hilarious and determined to give each character a full dance – that was Brian," says Irwin.
My respect for Brian both as a writer and a friend grew over those prolific years. He was always easy to be with, and as the Irish say, he had kissed the Blarney Stone, which gave him the gift of the gab. He was both humble and confident, witty and attentive with local fledgling writers. There are many in the region who cherished his company. He was a great man to sit next to.
On New Year's Eve, Brian went home from the hospice to a small party celebration attended by family and friends. He retired to his bed, and sometime on the first day of the new year, he passed away. His passing resembled a story from one of his Gatineau Valley tales, and he could not have written it any better. It is said that writers, when they die, become books. We can honour his legacy by picking up one of those hilarious, deep and heart-warming books with "Brian Doyle" on the spine and be with him afresh.