Munster Express Online

With the passing of Paddy ‘Bagger’ Power last autumn the Carrick community lost one of its best-loved senior characters, in his 96th year.

Paddy was born on March 29th 1914 and died on September 4th 2009, having seen most of the century past with all its wonders and its horrors, its good times and bad.

He was an intelligent and hard-working man, sociable and out-going, with a wonderful memory and a remarkable ability to recall the past and its people with warmth, humour and compassion.

Paddy’s parents were Michael Power and Catherine (nee Foran) and it was from his father that Paddy inherited the nickname ‘Bagger’ – a name apparently referring to the internal lining and insulation of roofs with sacking material in the past.

The original family home was in John Street. Paddy’s siblings, of whom two survive, were and are Kitty (O’Sullivan), Peggy (Walsh), Christina (Walsh), Nellie (Wall), Tommy, Willie, Jimmy and Mickey.

On Saturday, January 13th 1945 Paddy was married to Bridget Casey, who survives him.

At the time of their marriage World War II still had exhausted months to run; much of Europe was in ruins and times were hard in Ireland also.

But people, as always, somehow lifted their heads and found courage and hope for the future. Paddy and Bridget Power were blessed with seven children – Kathleen (Marshall), Mattie, Noel, Josephine Anne (Wilson), Pius, Dympna (Harrison) and Michael, who died in infancy.

An enduring image of Paddy Power from one of his sons is that he was “always a working man… with his sleeves rolled up”.

Before his marriage and in the worldwide depression of the nineteen thirties Paddy worked on the barges in England, with some other Carrick expatriates.

After his marriage to Bridget he worked for 40 years in the Carrick tannery of Plunder & Pollack (later Irish Leathers). Later still in his life he functioned as caretaker of the Schiesser factory.

He was a sprightly man who always dressed neatly and smiled much more than he frowned.

In his social life Paddy was well known for his love of singing and dancing. He was especially noted for his rendition of ‘The Rose of Ballinderry’ (written by the late Willie ‘The Whistler’ Foley) – in the performance of which Paddy would sometimes sing and dance at the same time if the company was good enough.

He shared the same birth month and year as the late Tom ‘The Bard’ Power (whom he outlived) and the two would frequently joke together as to which of them would live long enough to become the most senior in town and so, according to tradition, inherit the Town Clock for as long as he was around…

Paddy had good health for almost all of his life and was devotedly cared for by his loving family when he began to decline and was no longer to be seen on his lively way down towards the town centre and that old Town Clock in which he could by then boast a majority shareholding.

His death, when it came, occasioned genuine sorrow and loss, and a deep family grief. His extended family by then included 26 grandchildren.

The removal to St Nicholas Church was presided over by Fr Edmond Cullinan, assisted by Fr Pat Gear and Fr Pat Butler, with music supplied by Liamie Doherty.

There was a palpable sense that the community was bidding farewell to one of the most venerable of its seniors, and this sentiment carried over into the funeral Mass liturgy celebrated by Fr Richard Geoghegan.

It was a funeral Mass in which fifteen representatives of the three living generations of Paddy’s extended family lovingly participated through readings, prayers and actions, along with appropriate vocal music by Mala Raggett and in the presence of a very large gathering of the people of Carrick.

So, with his 19 grandsons forming his guard of honour, the final bell tolled for Paddy Power – that same bell which he, always a church-devoted man, had often on past occasions taken on the duty of ringing, as his father had done before him.

The personal gifts which his family had carefully chosen to present at the funeral Mass as symbols of his life and character said just about everything simple and true about Paddy Power.

They were: his cap, his walking stick and his Tipperary jersey; a copy of his nightly prayers, and a rose from his own garden.

Paddy remains greatly missed but most affectionately remembered by all. The light of heaven to his soul. – MC