Richard Power (writer) facts for kids

Richard Power was an Irish writer who created novels and scripts for TV and radio. He was born in Dublin, Ireland, in 1928. He passed away in Bray on February 12, 1970, just before his 42nd birthday.

Growing Up and Learning

Richard Power was born in 1928. His family came from Waterford, but he grew up in Naas, County Kildare. His father worked as a banker there.

Richard went to school in Naas. Later, he moved to Dublin to study at two universities: UCD and Trinity College Dublin. He earned two degrees, one in business and another in English and Irish.

In 1945, he started working for the government. He was employed in the Department of Local Government.

His Writing Journey

Richard Power began his writing career in 1958. From 1958 to 1960, he taught at State University in Iowa, USA.

Novels and Plays

Power wrote a novel in the Irish language called Ull i mBarr an Ghéagáin (1959). This book won the Gaelic Book Club Award. After he passed away, his brother Victor Power translated it into English as Apple on the Treetop (1980).

In 1964, his novel The Land of Youth was published. He also wrote short plays, including Saoirse (1955) and An Oidhreacht (1958), which were performed at the Abbey Theatre. Power also created scripts for RTE, the Irish TV and radio broadcaster.

The Hungry Grass

Richard Power's most famous novel was The Hungry Grass (1969). This book was highly praised by critics. It tells the detailed story of the last days of a village priest named Father Tom Conroy.

Power was working on another novel called The Mohair Boys when he died in 1970. He passed away only a few months after The Hungry Grass was published.

In 2016, The Hungry Grass was reprinted. People called it a "forgotten classic of Irish literature." They said it was "truly masterful" because it gave a deep and understanding look into the life of Father Tom Conroy.

List of Works

• Úll i mBarr an Ghéagáin (Baile Atha Cliath: Sáirséal agus Dill 1959)
  • Also translated by Victor Power as Apple on the Treetop (Dublin: Poolbeg 1980)
• The Land of Youth (New York: Dial Press 1964; London: Secker & Warburg 1966)
• The Hungry Grass (London: The Bodley Head 1969) ISBN: 0-370-01413-8
  • Reprinted (London: Apollo Library 2016) ISBN: 978-1-78497-741-2

He also wrote other pieces:

• ‘Poems translated from the Irish,' Poetry Ireland, 19 (October 1952), pp.7-8.
• ‘Peasants: A Story,' The Bell, XVIII, 7 (Dec. 1952), pp.424-30.
• ‘An Outpost of Rome,’ The Dubliner, Vol. 3, 1 (Spring 1964), pp. 14–26.
• An extract from his unfinished novel The Mohair Boys appeared in The Irish Press (27 February 1971).

Richard Power also directed a short public service film called Water Wisdom (1962) for the Department of Local Government.