A poet, a Carmelite nun, and a woman who changed the course of her life. Jessica Powers achieved what many aspiring writers dream of.

She had moved to New York, entered literary circles and seen her poetry published in major American newspapers and magazines. She had a book published and was establishing herself as a writer.

But Jessica Powers made a decision that would take her life in an entirely different direction.

The American poet, whose family had roots in County Waterford, walked away from the literary world and entered a Carmelite convent at the age of 36.

Born in Wisconsin in 1905, Powers studied journalism at Marquette University before working in Chicago. Following the deaths of her parents, she spent years caring for her family before eventually moving to New York in the late 1930s.

Her first collection of poetry, The Lantern Burns, was published in 1939.

Just two years later, she entered the Carmelite community of the Carmel of Mother of God in Milwaukee.

She took the religious name Sister Miriam of the Holy Spirit and would spend the rest of her life as a nun.

Yet becoming a nun did not mean giving up poetry.

In fact, her religious life became central to her writing. Her poems explored faith, solitude, nature, mortality and the tension between the restrictions of everyday life and the desire for freedom.

Powers also questioned her own decision to enter the convent. In her poetry, she wrestled with the reality of enclosure and the dramatic change from the outside world to a life lived largely within convent walls.

Rather than silencing her creativity, however, the cloister became part of her artistic world.

She continued writing and publishing throughout her life and served as prioress of her Carmelite community on three occasions.

She died in 1988, aged 83.

Today, her papers are preserved at Marquette University and include handwritten and typed drafts of poems, correspondence, newspaper clippings and other writings. Marquette continues to recognise her as one of its notable creative-writing alumni.

For Waterford, there is an additional layer to the story.

Accounts of Powers' life state that her grandparents came from County Waterford, although that particular family connection would be worth further genealogical verification before being presented as definitive.

It adds an intriguing local dimension to the story of a woman who lived two seemingly very different lives . One life was an ambitious writer immersed in the American literary world, and another as a Carmelite nun living a life of prayer and contemplation.

Cian Manning joined Ollie and Dymphna for another fascinating look at the history books.

Jessica Powers' story raises a fascinating question that remains relevant today:

What happens when someone walks away from the life they have spent years trying to build, and discovers that another life gives them an entirely different voice?