Dempsey and Darcy Family Coats of Arms

The Dempsey name, which is also found spelt as Dempsie, Dimpsay or Dimpsey, is of Irish origin from the Irish Gaelic o'dimpsaigh meaning "estimable" or "son of the Proud". The Dempseys were descended from the O'Dempsey family, Clan Maliere. Lords of Clanmalier, the Dempsey's were for centuries, one of the most powerful families of Leinster. As the same stock as the O'Connors, of Offaly, they descended from Ros Lailghe, eldest son of Cathaoir Mor, Monarch of Ireland in the 2nd century. The Dempsey's territory, known as Clann Mhaoilughra, compromised a vast area on both sides of the River Barrow, encompassing the present day baronies of Portnahinch, County Laois, and upper Philipstown, County Offaly. From the time of the Anglo-Norman invasion of 1171 down to the 16th century Elizabethan Wars, the Dempsey's were famous for their consistent resistance to English Rule. O'Dempsey, Chief of Offaly, who won a decisive battle over Strongbow in 1172, slaying his son -in- law De Quenci was one of the few Irish Leaders to accomplish this military feat. Dermot O'Dempsey ( died 1193) Chief of the name, founded the Cistercian Abbey of Monasterevan St. Evin, who established the Church at Monasterevan, that bears his name, was the Patron Saint of the Dempsey's. During the reign of Elizabeth 1, the Dempsey's were on friendly terms with the English, and their estates escaped confiscation. Terence O'Dempsey was knighted in 1599, and in 1631 was created Baron of Philipstown and Viscount Clanmalier. However, later in the century, they were staunch supporters of the Irish cause. Three of the surname were prominent members of the Confederation of Kilkenny: Lewis O'Dempsey, Viscount Clanmalier; Edmund Dempsey, Bishop of Leighlin; and Barnabas O'Dempsey, and together with Lysagh O'Dempsey,were exempted from pardon by the Cromwellian victors in 1652. Their loyalty to the Catholic James the 2nd resulted in the forfeiture of their vast estates. During the penal times, there were a number of distinguished ecclesiastics. One of them John Dempsey, a relative of Viscount Clanmalier, wa Bishop of Kildare.

Darcy, O'Dorcey, MacDarcyTrace
your ancestor here-->This name is often spelt D'Arcy. this is historically correct in the cast of those families of the name which descend from Sir John D'Arcy who was Chief Justice of Ireland in the Fourteenth century, e.g., the Darcys of Hyde Park, Co. Westmeath, whose chief seat was Platten, Co. Meath; and it is reasonable to assume that the Darcys of the east midlands of Ireland are of that stock. It may be mentioned here that though Norman in origin, the name being originally D'Arci, form Arci a place in Normandy, these Darcys did not come to Ireland as early as the Anglo-Norman invasion. There is no justification for the Darcys of Munster and Connacht (with a few exceptions) using the form D'Arcy, because they were of native Irish stock and their name is a corruption of the Gaelic O Dorchaidhe, which was first anglicized as O'Dorcey. There was minor septs so called: one in Co. Mayo was located around Partry near Lough Mask; the other in east Galway was a branch of the Ui Maine. In the "Annals of Loch Ce" the name MacDarcy appears as that of a Co. Leitrim chieftain in the years 1384 and 1403. O'Donovan in his notes to the Four Masters under the date 1310 places the MacDarcy sept in the parish of Oughteragh, Co. Leitrim. The most distinguished of the name was the lawyer, Patrick Darcy (1598-1668), a prominent member of the Supreme Council of the Confederation of Kilkenny, and Patrick Count Darcy (1725-1779), Chevalier and Marechal-de-camp in the service of France, who was a mathematician of note as well as a famous soldier. Oliver Darcy was Bishop of Dromore from 1670 to 1674, having previously held the see of Ardagh. It has been proved by O'Donovan that the Darcys who became one of the Tribes of Galway were of true Irish stock, being descended from the O'Dorceys of Partry, Co. Mayo.

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The 900 Mile Journey

Our trip started by landing in Dublin. After staying at Chris and Myra Darcys place in Drumcondra for the evening, the next day we headed for Galway. Highlighted in red, you'll see our travel route. I found driving to be extremely challenging. Not only do you drive on the left hand side of the road, (if that isn't bad enough) the steering wheel is on the right! God save us! It gets worse. Some of your travels, you'll experience interstate like roads which are great. Once you get off these, the nightmare begins. Country roads consists of two lanes, accommodating one car going in each way. There will be a stone wall on you left that's about two feet from the passanger door (I'm being generous here) that will follow you through your trip. You will never escape it. It owns you. To avoid hitting it or sideswiping it, my advice is to ride the center line until you see oncoming traffic. Then it gets interesting...especially if it's a tour bus or a cement truck coming at you. Remember that two foot clearance between the stone wall and the passenger side of the car that I spoke about earlier? Well, put it this way. If you do have a passenger that's crazy enough to be sitting next to you in the first place, have them open the window and stick out the finger of their choice for a complimentary nail filing free of charge. Oh..that's right! You won't have any fingernails left. You either chewed them off hours ago or they're imbedded somewhere in the car from the "white knuckel" death grip. Ask my wife Linda. She'll tell you all about it. She was sitting on the passenger side.

The Old Homestead of Ann Darcy/Dempsey

I introduced myself to two gentlemen that owned and worked at the Kennedy farm equipment repair shop. I told them I was a relative of the Darcys and that I was looking for the house that my Grandmother Ann Darcy was born in. Some years later, My father James Michael Dempsey was born in the same house, February 5th, 1935. They said they could direct me to the house, but I would have to fight my way through overgrown bushes and briars to get there. I was to take a left, the way I first came in. He then said, travel about fifty yards or so until you get to a hand water pump. Turn to your left and you will see two roads wide enough for a tractor to travel on. The one you want is the one that's all overgrown. That will be on your right. You can't miss it. As you go through about twenty yards of underbrush, You will come to a stone archway. Go through it and you'll be able to see the house. He told us not to enter any of the structures for they are unsafe. The gentlman then told me a little history of how the Darcys came to live in this house. Apparently, Denis, my Great Grandfather had a deal with the landowner. If Denis was to work at the wheat mill which was part of the property, Denis and his family could live here rent free. We thanked him and on we went. The overgrown path was located, and through the underbrush, thorns and bushes we went. Low and behold, the archway appeared to us, with a small clearing ahead. There it was before me. The house that I envisioned for so many years, finally stood before me.


Here is the house below!


This is the wheat mill that Great Grandfather worked in.

Here is a pic of the kitchen through the window. Mary Darcy, sister of Chris had lived here until she was put into a nursing home over 10 years ago. This is what it looked like the day she left it! The home was condemned at some point because of the structure being unsafe.

Here is the water wheel that powered the mill

Note the crack in the wall. That's the reason for abandoning the house

My Great Grandparents, The Darcys

I have only to thank Chris Darcy, my Great Uncle of Drumcondra, for directing me to Oliver Darcy, which is his nephew, who owns a B&B in Terryglass. It was my first time meeting Oliver. He was thrilled on finding out that I was in fact the Grandson of his Aunt, Ann Darcy. After telling family stories for awhile, I asked him where I could find the resting place of my Great Grandmother and Great Grandfather, as we stood on his porch. He replied: "Turn around Jim! Do you see that church steeple about a half a mile over there?" Through the trees, I could see a small steeple. "You mean that one over their, Oliver?"

"It's that close, Oliver?" He replied with a hearty "Oh yes!" But keep this in mind, Jim. There are two cemeteries at the church. You want the new one that sits on the right hand side as your facing the church. The headstones will be about four rows back. My God, He's almost telling me the location to the exact foot! This is too easy, I said to myself. I was so excited. For forty years plus, I always dreamed of finding out my family ties in Ireland and Oliver had just pointed to it moments earlier. My next question to Oliver was if he knew the whereabouts of the house my Grandmother was born in, as was my father years later. He knew, but he directed me to a farm equipment repair shop that was owned by the Kennedys just before the church. They actually were the owners of the land. They will direct you to the house he said. I'ts a bit tricky, but you will find it, he replied. I bid oliver farewell and thanked him for being so helpful. Off I went, arriving at the church within two minutes.Here is the Parish Church, The Immaculate Conception, in Terryglass. Margaret and Denis are buried here with 3 of their children.

My Great Grandmother, Margaret. Also known as "Maggie". Below, shows the resting place of Margaret, Denis and 3 children, Gretta, Patrick and Mary.

Miscellaneous Pics

Here are some pics that were taken during the 900 mile trip. Some of these we simply just fell upon as we traveled throughout the country side. Some of the castles we came across, were literally in the middle of nowhere. No identifiable markings or names. I'm sure if I were to ask the locals, they would have a 2 hour history class on the day they were built and what family names were tied to these magnificent structures. A lot of these pics were simply taken by jumping in and out of the car. We literally passed hundreds more....I took photos of the most accessible since dozens were hundreds of yards in the middle of fields, bogs, etc