The Power story

My father was an American stationed in Derry in 1962. He met my mother, Patricia Power, and they married in 1963. My father was sent by the Navy on a ship to Cuba to deal with the Bay of Pigs, and my mom decided to get on a ship and come to America so I would be born an American citizen in November 1963.

On her journey to America, she bled heavily as she heard the news that President Kennedy had been assassinated. It’s a miracle that I survived the trip. My father was from Kentucky, so after arriving in New York, my mother took a bus to Bowling Green, Kentucky. I was born there in 1964.

My father was again stationed in Ireland in 1968. We lived there during The Troubles. My grandparents lived in the Bogside, and that’s where my brother and I spent most of our time. I have vivid memories of my life there. We returned to America in 1971.

After my parents divorced in 1982, my mother and brother returned home. I stayed in America with my father. I still visit Derry, my namesake town, as I still have family there. My heart belongs to both countries.