Tributes have been made to Wexford fisherman, writer, researcher, maritime historian and community activist John Power, who died last month aged 90.
The Sunday Independent reports that the RNLI’s Kilmore Quay lifeboat station has described his knowledge of maritime history as “encyclopaedic”.
The station where he had a long involvement also said that Power’s extensive collection of photographs was “unique”, and his “passion for his subject” was “unwavering”.
John Power travelled around the coast instructing on the use of fishing gear
Power, who was born in Wexford’s Kilmore Quay on August 29th 1933, trained as a mechanic but took up commercial fishing from Dunmore East with his father, Tom, and brothers, Tommy and Paddy. He married Trish Bates in 1963 and the couple reared six children, several of whom would follow their father into fishing.
Power, who fished from 1958 to 1995, owned a number of boats including the Pride of Kilmichael, the Guillemot, the Girl Ann and the Glendalough.
He was a regular contributor during those years to The Irish Skipper monthly and the British weekly, Fishing News.
John in his workshop at home in Co Wexford
In January 1996, the year after he came ashore, he was appointed secretary of the Kilmore Quay Fishermen’s Co-op and held this position for 26 years. He held a large number of roles at local and national level, including including membership of the Maritime Institute of Ireland, and the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority consultative committee.
He was a board member of State sea fisheries board Bord Iascaigh Mhara from 1969 to 1984, when he was still fishing, and he used to instruct fishing crews all around the island, including the west coast on the use of gear.
John and Trish Power's 60th wedding anniversary with their six children
Among his many publications were three volumes of the Maritime History of County Wexford, dating from 1859; short stories for children; and photographic histories including two volumes of a pictorial history of the people of the Kilmore parish.
He wrote a history of the Kilmore Quay lifeboat station published in 1993, entitled Above and Beyond the Call of Duty, and curated an extensive exhibition in the Stella Maris centre which celebrated 175 years of the station in 2022.
Wexford historian Jack O’Leary has described Power as the “godfather" of Wexford maritime history, and Rosslare Harbour Maritime Heritage Centre said he is “a maritime legend”.
Read The Sunday Independent here
