Peter Dempsey (Kiltullagh) was a

tenant farmer A tenant farmer is a person (farmer or farmworker) who resides on land owned by a landlord. Tenant farming is an agricultural production system in which landowners contribute their land and often a measure of operating capital and management, ...

who was murdered during the

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

Land War The Land War ( ga, Cogadh na Talún) was a period of agrarian agitation in rural Ireland (then wholly part of the United Kingdom) that began in 1879. It may refer specifically to the first and most intense period of agitation between 1879 and 18 ...

on 28 May 1881. He was shot dead while walking to

Mass Mass is an intrinsic property of a body. It was traditionally believed to be related to the quantity of matter in a physical body, until the discovery of the atom and particle physics. It was found that different atoms and different elementar ...

with his two daughters across a field

mass path A mass path is a pedestrian track or road connecting destinations frequently used by rural communities, traditionally leading to a church celebrating Sunday Mass. They were most common during the centuries that preceded motorised transportation i ...

. Dempsey had taken over an holding near Hollypark,

Loughrea Loughrea ( ; ) is a town in County Galway, Ireland. The town lies to the north of a range of wooded hills, the Slieve Aughty Mountains, and the lake from which it takes its name. The town's cathedral, St Brendan's, dominates the town's skyline ...

after the previous tenant, Murty Hynes, had given it up following a speech by Matt Harris. Hynes relinquished the holdings in September 1880 after Harris, who was a

Fenian The word ''Fenian'' () served as an umbrella term for the Irish Republican Brotherhood (IRB) and their affiliate in the United States, the Fenian Brotherhood, secret political organisations in the late 19th and early 20th centuries dedicated ...

, Land Leaguer,

Irish nationalist Irish nationalism is a nationalist political movement which, in its broadest sense, asserts that the people of Ireland should govern Ireland as a sovereign state. Since the mid-19th century, Irish nationalism has largely taken the form of cu ...

and

Westminster Westminster is an area of Central London, part of the wider City of Westminster. The area, which extends from the River Thames to Oxford Street, has many visitor attractions and historic landmarks, including the Palace of Westminster, Bu ...

MP, condemned him in a speech for taking a farm after the previous occupant (Martin Bermingham) had been evicted for non-payment of rent. Dempsey refused to leave the farm and was killed. Two men were charged with murder and were acquitted. Few attended Dempsey's funeral.

Sources

* ''The Land War in South East Galway (1879-1891)'', a

thesis A thesis ( : theses), or dissertation (abbreviated diss.), is a document submitted in support of candidature for an academic degree or professional qualification presenting the author's research and findings.International Standard ISO 7144: ...

by Anne Finnegan * ''As The Centuries Passed: A History of Kiltullagh 1500–1900'', edited Kieran Jordan, 2000 ** ''The Land Wars'', Kevin and Kieran Jordan, in op.cit. * ''The District of Loughrea: Vol. I History 1791-1918.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Dempsey (Kiltullagh), Peter Murder victims from County Galway People from Loughrea 19th-century Irish people

See also

Sources

References