He began his secondary education at the Marist Brothers' School but at the age of 12, on his mother's remarriage to the bakery manager in 1936, he was sent to board at St Joseph's College, Garbally, Ballinasloe.
From 1951 he lived for a time in Paris where he knew some of the French and expatriate literary community, among them Gore Vidal, Truman Capote, James Baldwin and most importantly Julien Green.
Green was a French Academician and highly respected novelist and diarist, who became a mentor and personal friend.
Broderick lived most of his life in Athlone; with his mother until her death in 1974, and alone until he moved to Bath England in 1981.
He continued to review widely and to write general articles for The Irish Times and Hibernia magazine, among others, until shortly before his death.