Irene Kratzer

There was one person in particular I was told I really should include when I was writing Legendary Locals — Irene Kratzer. As always, when several people recommended the same local hero, contact details became rather vague. But the Cardiff Centenary celebrations were coming up and I was told she would be there. “You can’t miss her. Just ask anyone.”It was a wonderful day in so many ways and I met a number of celebrities — Marion Ross, Teresa Barth, even a dog named Dylan — but Irene remained as elusive as the Scarlet Pimpernel.
And then just as I was about to give up, there she was: surprisingly diminutive, given her huge reputation. Irene’s achievements are many — and I apologized from the start for distilling her entire life into one paragraph — but when I asked what she considered her greatest accomplishment she needed only two words: “my sons.”