Paddy Power (Irish politician)

{{Infobox officeholder

| image = Paddy Power, 1978 (cropped).jpg

| caption = Power in 1978

| office = Minister for Defence

| taoiseach = Charles Haughey

| term_start = 9 March 1982

| term_end = 14 December 1982

| predecessor = James Tully

| successor = Patrick Cooney

| office1 = Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism

| taoiseach1 = Charles Haughey

| term_start1 = 7 October 1982

| term_end1 = 27 October 1982

| predecessor1 = Desmond O'Malley

| successor1 = Pádraig Flynn

| office2 = Minister for Fisheries and Forestry

| taoiseach2 = Charles Haughey

| term_start2 = 12 December 1979

| term_end2 = 30 June 1981

| predecessor2 = Brian Lenihan

| successor2 = Tom Fitzpatrick

| office3 = Teachta Dála

| term_start3 = June 1969

| term_end3 = June 1989

| constituency3 = Kildare

| office5 = Member of the European Parliament

| term_start5 = 14 December 1977

| term_end5 = 24 June 1979

| constituency5 = Oireachtas Delegation

| birth_name = Patrick Power

| birth_date = {{birth date|1928|11|19|df=y}}

| birth_place = Naas, County Kildare, Ireland

| death_date = {{death date and age|2013|8|14|1928|11|19|df=y}}

| death_place = Caragh, County Kildare, Ireland

| nationality = Irish

| party = Fianna Fáil

| spouse =

| children = Seán|

}}

Patrick Power (19 November 1928 – 14 August 2013){{cite web|url=http://www.rip.ie/showdn.php?dn=202565/PaddyPOWER/Caragh/Kildare|title=Death notice of Paddy Power, Caragh, Kildare, Ireland|publisher=RIP.ie|access-date=15 August 2013|archive-date=2 December 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202232024/http://www.rip.ie/showdn.php?dn=202565%2FPaddyPOWER%2FCaragh%2FKildare|url-status=live}} was an Irish Fianna Fáil politician who served as Minister for Defence from March 1982 to December 1982, Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism in October 1982, and Minister for Fisheries and Forestry from 1979 to 1981. He served as Teachta Dála (TD) for the Kildare constituency from 1969 to 1989 and a Member of the European Parliament (MEP) from 1977 to 1979.{{cite web|url=https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Patrick-Power.D.1969-07-02/|title=Patrick Power|work=Oireachtas Members Database|access-date=9 November 2012|archive-date=7 November 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181107145429/https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/members/member/Patrick-Power.D.1969-07-02|url-status=live}}

A national schoolteacher before entering politics, he was first elected to Dáil Éireann as a Fianna Fáil TD for the Kildare constituency at the 1969 general election.{{cite web|url=http://www.electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?ID=3231|title=Paddy Power|work=ElectionsIreland.org|access-date=9 November 2012|archive-date=17 October 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121017235436/http://electionsireland.org/candidate.cfm?id=3231|url-status=live}}

He served as Minister for Fisheries and Forestry from 1979 to June 1981 and Minister for Defence in the government of March to December 1982. He was briefly Minister for Trade, Commerce and Tourism in October 1982 following the resignation of Desmond O'Malley to challenge for the leadership of the party. He was also a MEP from 1977 to 1979.

His son, Seán Power is a former TD and Minister of State. Another son, J. J. Power, served as a Green Party councillor on Kildare County Council.

Power retired from politics at the 1989 general election. He died on 14 August 2013 in Caragh, County Kildare.{{cite web|url=http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0814/468218-paddy-power-fianna-fail-death/|title=Former FF minister Paddy Power dies at 84|work=RTÉ News|date=15 August 2013|access-date=15 August 2013|archive-date=21 September 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130921061126/http://www.rte.ie/news/2013/0814/468218-paddy-power-fianna-fail-death/|url-status=live}} He had no connection with the Irish bookmakers of the same name.