Rosslare district bestows highest accolade possible upon the late John Power
Born in 1933 he worked as a fisherman for almost 40 years before dedicating his life to the betterment of Kilmore Quay and its surrounding areas. He was a director of the Kilmore Quay Community Development Association, was secretary of the Kilmore Quay Fishermen's Co-op, amd was also involved in the twinning of Kilmore Quay and Crehen in Brittany.
John was a member of the Kilmore Parish Journal committee from 1974 to 2008 and continued to contribute articles and photographs every year up until his passing last year. At a national and regional level he was chairman of the National Federation of Fishing Co-ops from 1968 to 1974, a member of the Inland Fishery Ireland from 1970 to 1975, a member of the Maritime Institute of Ireland, a member of the Sea Fisheries Protection Authority, a board member of Bord Iascaigh Mhara (BIM) from1969 to 1984, a board member of Wexford Organisation for Rural Development for eight years, and was also a board member of Wexford Local Development
He completed a number of books including Above and Beyond the Call of Duty which, as he stated in the foreword, 'records and compliments the men and women associated with Kilmore Quay Lifeboat Station'. John also compiled three volumes of the Maritime History of County Wexford dating from 1859 and also wrote short stories for children
Welcoming John's extended family into the chamber of Wexford County Hall, the cathaoirleach of the RMD, Councillor Jim Codd, said it was a 'privilege' to honour a man who 'brimmed with intelligence and culture' and had 'extensive knowledge' of the maritime industry and local politics.
'He served the community with a passion that was truly exceptional and was a walking encyclopaedia of knowledge,' remarked Cllr Codd.
What made John's intelligence so unique was that, according to his family, he was entirely self-taught. Expressing their pride in receiving the civic award, they noted that 'if you couldn't find something on Google you could always ask John'.
Cllr Ger Carthy added to the tributes, saying he was 'fortunate to know John' and that a lot of 'the infrastructure in Kilmore Quay could be traced back' to people like him.
'John was a protector of the heritage and the history of this district. This honour isn't bestowed on too many people and it's due recognition of his achievements,' added Cllr Carthy.
John was described as a 'tremendous individual' by Cllr Lisa McDonald who said it would be a long time before 'the likes of him were seen again'. Paying tribute to his historical writings, she said, 'unlike many of those who write about history he lived through what happened, historians can tell stories but you need to feel what people went through, and John did that.'
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