The home of Ann and Richie Power in the Kilkenny village of Stoneyford isn’t bedecked by the many garlands and trinkets that this hurling-obsessed family has earned over six honour-laden decades.
Granted, there are a few photographic memories of glory days in Croke Park dotted around the house, while there’s a kitchen press wedged full of match programmes and newspaper cuttings but there’s not a hint of ostentation at play.
Hurling is never far from the tip of any tongue once you cross the Powers’ threshold, nor is a pot of tea, along with something sweet to accompany it and repeat servings of good humour.
From the day Richie Junior welcomed me for the first interview of what eventually became ‘Power: A Family Memoir’ on February 15th, 2023, this was a household which exuded warmth – and humility.
"You’re talking about great people," said John Knox, whose stellar career in sports writing with the Kilkenny People took in the club and inter-county tours of duty of both Richie Senior and Junior.
"They never made a distinction between club and family. Club was family, family was club. And so down to earth. Jesus, if you fall out with the Powers, there’s something wrong with you. You just couldn’t. To me, they epitomise what a GAA family is about. It’s about giving, it’s about volunteerism. It’s about parking your ego. They’re the salt of the earth."
Remarkably, even by Kilkenny standards, there are 13 Celtic Crosses under the Powers’ roof, at the tail end of Stoneyford, won by three proud Carrickshock men, all of whom have scored All-Ireland Senior Final goals. Richie Senior netted against Cork in 1983 as the Black and Amber completed a ‘double double’ of League and Championship titles, a rare feat in that era for any county. Richie Junior and his brother John both goaled in the 2014 Final replay victory over Tipperary, the penultimate MacCarthy Cup success of the Brian Cody era – Richie’s seventh and John’s first.
Some of the many medals the Powers have won for both club and county may end up on a plaque or inside a frame yet in the homestead, but there’s clearly no rush on that front either.
Both men’s commitment to Carrickshock clearly underlines the adage about where one’s GAA service begins and, more often than not, ends. Both were the outstanding players on their respective club teams and won respect the country over for their feats with Kilkenny. But in a hurling sense, nothing will ever matter more to them than their club, which represents one of the most distinctively shaped parishes on the entire island.
The eighth senior hurling title with Carrickshock remains elusive; a wait as long as Mayo’s for Sam Maguire, extending all the way back to 1951. That neither Richie added that medal to their extensive collection still sticks in the craw. When they told me they’d swap their All-Ireland medals for one such title with the club, I required precious little convincing. They talk as straight as they shot on the many fields they graced.
Yet there’s unbridled solace to be gleaned from winning an All-Ireland Intermediate Club title in 2017, when Richie Jnr, John and Jamie helped their club secure its most significant honour in just over 75 years. Surrounded by family and friends, the Powers sampled further Croke Park glory, providing Richie Jnr, he of no cartilage in his left knee, with a fairytale finish to one of the most successful careers in the history of the game.
While we worked on this book, Richie was in his fourth year managing Carrickshock, giving something back to the club he owes everything to from a hurling perspective. The student is now the mentor.
Meanwhile, Richie Snr, whose commitment to the club remained rock solid while working in Cork in the early to mid-1980s, is as enthused as always by both the club and the game, so much so that he took on a selector’s role with the minor team at the start of this year.
“It isn’t life and death, despite what the most ardent hurling supporter might otherwise suggest,” he told me. “Living your life well and being good to yourself and those around you: now that’s worth more than any medal.”
Having admitted to a gambling problem which predated the premature conclusion of his inter-county career, Richie Jnr has faced two significant personal obstacles and made the greatest investment anyone can make: in himself. That’s made him a better father, partner, son and sibling.
And just like his Dad, Richie’s love for his club, county and his sport has remained a constant.
He commented: “We just loved it all. Every bit of it. There’s nothing like hurling for the club. And I wouldn’t swap it for anything.
"Personal awards never bothered me. For me it was all about the team, be it Carrickshock or Kilkenny and what I could do to help my team – and that’s what I prided myself on.”
Roughly a decade ago, an old schoolmate of mine, as obsessive a Kilkenny hurling man as any I have ever met, handed me a book which I have frequently turned to over the past decade. Devoted to John Wooden (1910-2010) the legendary UCLA basketball coach, it contains his wisdom on sport and life, explaining how and why both intertwine. And these are words that I have frequently turned to.
“Be more concerned with your character than your reputation. Character is what you really are. Reputation is what people say you are. Reputation is often based in character – but not always. Character is how you react to things – sensibly, without getting carried away by yourself or your circumstances.”
The character of the Power family, champions many times over, has never, ever been in doubt. To help both men share their story has been a singular privilege.
‘Power: A Family Memoir’ (€20) is the latest book in Hero Books’ ‘Flesh & Blood’ series. The book will be launched on Wednesday, November 1st at Langton’s, John Street, Kilkenny at 8pm. For more on the Hero Books range, visit https://www.herobooks.digital/shop
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