Patrick Power/ “Da” Character Analysis in Orphan Train

Patrick Power (“Da”) is Vivian/Niamh’s biological father. Born in Ireland at the turn of the twentieth century, he immigrates to New York with his wife Mary and his three children, Niamh, Dominick, and James. In New York, he works at an Irish pub. His daughter Maisie is born in New York. Patrick has a problem with alcoholism, and he loves to sing. He dies in a house fire in 1929, along with his two sons.

Patrick Power/ “Da” Quotes in Orphan Train

The Orphan Train quotes below are all either spoken by Patrick Power/ “Da” or refer to Patrick Power/ “Da”. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

). Note: all page numbers and citation info for the quotes below refer to the William Morrow edition of Orphan Train published in 2013.

How strange, I think – that I am in a place my parents have never been and will never see. How strange that I am here and they are gone. I touch the claddagh cross around my neck.

Related Characters: (speaker), ,

Related Symbols:

Page Number and Citation: 62

Explanation and Analysis:

Patrick Power/ “Da” Character Timeline in Orphan Train

The timeline below shows where the character Patrick Power/ “Da” appears in Orphan Train. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.

...against the Irish. A family friend hired her father to work in his pub. Her Da’s drinking and her Mam’s “black moods” continued, but still the narrator remained hopeful. She reflects... (full context)

...didn’t ask for this.” The narrator then remembers the night of the fire – her Da and brothers’ bodies in the hallway, Maisie and her Mam taken away by medics. She... (full context)

Secrets, Reality, and Illusions Theme Icon

...kind to Niamh and enjoys talking about his family in Ireland. Niamh recalls how her Da talked proudly of Irish history, while history just made her Mam sad. At one point,... (full context)

...ready and go to school each day. Lying awake one night, Niamh remembers how her Da told her to imagine a happy place to get through a difficult time. She imagines... (full context)

...walk to the school. She tells herself that she is testing her limits, as her Da told her it is important to do once in a while. She wishes she had... (full context)

...fills Niamh’s mind with pleasant memories of her Gram’s kitchen. She also begins remembering her Da’s drinking and her Mam and Gram’s fights, each blaming the other for his alcoholism. She... (full context)