Tony Dempsey (born 11 May 1944) is an Irish former

Fianna Fáil Fianna Fáil (, ; meaning 'Soldiers of Destiny' or 'Warriors of Fál'), officially Fianna Fáil – The Republican Party ( ga, audio=ga-Fianna Fáil.ogg, Fianna Fáil – An Páirtí Poblachtánach), is a conservative and Christian- ...

politician. He was a

Teachta Dála A Teachta Dála ( , ; plural ), abbreviated as TD (plural ''TDanna'' in Irish, TDs in English), is a member of Dáil Éireann, the lower house of the Oireachtas (the Irish Parliament). It is the equivalent of terms such as ''Member of Parli ...

(TD) for the

Wexford Wexford () is the county town of County Wexford, Ireland. Wexford lies on the south side of Wexford Harbour, the estuary of the River Slaney near the southeastern corner of the island of Ireland. The town is linked to Dublin by the M11/N11 N ...

constituency from 2002 to 2007. Dempsey is a native of Davidstown,

County Wexford County Wexford ( ga, Contae Loch Garman) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was based on the historic Gaelic territory of Hy Kinsella (''Uí Ceinns ...

and was educated at

Enniscorthy Enniscorthy () is the second-largest town in County Wexford, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. At the 2016 census, the population of the town and environs was 11,381. The town is located on the picturesque River Slaney and in close proximity to the ...

Christian Brothers School,

University College Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland ...

and St. Patrick's College, Maynooth. Prior to entering politics he worked as a secondary schoolteacher, and was a principal teacher of a large secondary school in Enniscorthy at the time of his election. He was always widely known for his involvement with

Gaelic games Gaelic games ( ga, Cluichí Gaelacha) are a set of sports played worldwide, though they are particularly popular in Ireland, where they originated. They include Gaelic football, hurling, Gaelic handball and rounders. Football and hurling, the ...

in County Wexford. He had been appointed chairman of Wexford County Board (the governing body of the

Gaelic Athletic Association The Gaelic Athletic Association (GAA; ga, Cumann Lúthchleas Gael ; CLG) is an Irish international amateur sporting and cultural organisation, focused primarily on promoting indigenous Gaelic games and pastimes, which include the traditional ...

in the county) in 1976 at the age of 35, becoming one of the youngest ever persons to hold the position, and he had been involved with inter-county

hurling Hurling ( ga, iománaíocht, ') is an outdoor team game of ancient Gaelic Irish origin, played by men. One of Ireland's native Gaelic games, it shares a number of features with Gaelic football, such as the field and goals, the number of p ...

and

Gaelic football Gaelic football ( ga, Peil Ghaelach; short name '), commonly known as simply Gaelic, GAA or Football is an Irish team sport. It is played between two teams of 15 players on a rectangular grass pitch. The objective of the sport is to score by kic ...

teams in Wexford either as a trainer, selector or manager. He trained the Wexford Junior Gaelic football team to a

Leinster Leinster ( ; ga, Laighin or ) is one of the provinces of Ireland, situated in the southeast and east of Ireland. The province comprises the ancient Kingdoms of Meath, Leinster and Osraige. Following the 12th-century Norman invasion of Ir ...

championship in 2000 when they defeated

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

in the final. At the time of his election, he was manager of the Wexford senior hurling team. Dempsey was elected to

Dáil Éireann Dáil Éireann ( , ; ) is the lower house, and principal chamber, of the Oireachtas (Irish legislature), which also includes the President of Ireland and Seanad Éireann (the upper house).Article 15.1.2º of the Constitution of Ireland read ...

at the 2002 general election. This was the first time that he had stood for election at any level. He had been chosen as a candidate in the hope of increasing Fianna Fáil's vote and obtaining three seats out of five in the constituency for the party. However, the strategy was unsuccessful and while he was elected, it was at the expense of a party colleague, Hugh Byrne. Dempsey did not contest the 2007 general election. He was elected to

Wexford County Council Wexford County Council ( ga, Comhairle Contae Loch Garman) is the authority responsible for local government in County Wexford, Ireland. As a county council, it is governed by the Local Government Act 2001. The council is responsible for hous ...

at the 2009 local elections and re-elected at the 2014 local elections. He retired at the 2019 local elections.

References

External links

Tony Dempsey's page on the Fianna Fáil website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dempsey, Tony 1944 births Living people Alumni of St Patrick's College, Maynooth Alumni of University College Dublin Chairmen of county boards of the Gaelic Athletic Association Fianna Fáil TDs Heads of schools in Ireland Hurling managers Irish schoolteachers Irish sportsperson-politicians Local councillors in County Wexford Members of the 29th Dáil Politicians from County Wexford Wexford County Board administrators