Terence O'Dempsey, 1st Viscount Clanmalier ( Irish: ''Toirdelbach Ó Díomasaigh''; died 1638) was an Irish

aristocrat The aristocracy (''from Greek'' ''ἀριστοκρατία'' ''aristokratía'', "rule of the best"; ''Latin: aristocratia'') is historically associated with a "hereditary" or a "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the ...

. He was the son of Dermot O'Dempsey of Queen's County, part of the Dempsey sept. The family were confirmed in their lands as part of the

surrender and regrant During the Tudor conquest of Ireland (c.1540–1603), "surrender and regrant" was the legal mechanism by which Irish clans were to be converted from a power structure rooted in clan and kin loyalties, to a late-Feudalism, feudal system under t ...

policy. Terence O'Dempsey served as

sheriff A sheriff is a government official, with varying duties, existing in some countries with historical ties to England where the office originated. There is an analogous, although independently developed, office in Iceland, the , which is common ...

of Queen's County, and was knighted by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex in 1599. In 1631 he was made a

Viscount A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. The status and any domain held by a viscount is a viscounty. In the case of French viscounts, the title is ...

and Baron in the

English peerage The Peerage of England comprises all peerages created in the Kingdom of England before the Act of Union 1707, Act of Union in 1707. From that year, the Peerages of England and Peerage of Scotland, Scotland were closed to new creations, and ne ...

by King Charles 1st. (Viscount Clanmaliere and Baron Philipstown) He was married three times. His first wife was Mary FitzGerald, daughter of Sir Maurice FitzGerald of Laccagh, of a junior branch of the family of the

Earl of Kildare Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. In modern Britain, an earl is a member of the peerage, ranking below a marquess and above a viscount. A feminine form of ''earl'' never developed; instead, ''countess'' is used. The titl ...

and his wife Margaret Butler. His second wife was Genet (or Jenet) Finglas, daughter of Patrick Finglas of Westphailstown, who had previously been married to John Bathe,

Attorney General for Ireland The Attorney-General for Ireland was an Kingdom of Ireland, Irish and then, from 1801 under the Acts of Union 1800, United Kingdom government office-holder. He was senior in rank to the Solicitor-General for Ireland: both advised the Crown on ...

, and the distinguished soldier Sir William Warren. His third wife was Margaret Whittie, widow of John Ichingham (died 1616) of Dunbrody,

County Wexford County Wexford () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Southern Region, Ireland, Southern Region. Named after the town of Wexford, it was ba ...

; by her first husband she had a daughter Martha, who married Lewis, Terence's grandson and heir. All Terence's children seem to have been from his first marriage. He conformed at least outwardly to the

Church of Ireland The Church of Ireland (, ; , ) is a Christian church in Ireland, and an autonomy, autonomous province of the Anglican Communion. It is organised on an all-Ireland basis and is the Christianity in Ireland, second-largest Christian church on the ...

, although his second wife Genet was a devout

Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...

, as were her children by her first husband John Bathe: two of his sons became priests. For this reason, her loyalty to the English Crown was suspect, and she was kept under surveillance. His eldest son Owny (Anthony) O'Dempsey predeceased him, and he was succeeded by his grandson Lewis O'Dempsey, 2nd Viscount Clanmalier, who was

attainted In English criminal law, attainder was the metaphorical "stain" or "corruption of blood" which arose from being condemned for a serious capital crime (felony or treason). It entailed losing not only one's life, property and hereditary titles, but ...

for his role in the

Irish Rebellion of 1641 The Irish Rebellion of 1641 was an uprising in Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, initiated on 23 October 1641 by Catholic gentry and military officers. Their demands included an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and ...

but later had his title and some of his estates restored following the Restoration. His daughter Eleanor married Peter Sarsfield of

Tully Castle Tully Castle ( Irish: ''Caisleán na Tulaí'' meaning "castle on the hill") is a castle situated in County Fermanagh, Northern Ireland, near the village of Blaney, on Blaney Bay on the southern shore of Lower Lough Erne. The Blaney area ta ...

County Kildare County Kildare () is a Counties of Ireland, county in Ireland. It is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster and is part of the Eastern and Midland Region. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the Local gove ...

, a member of a wealthy

Old English Old English ( or , or ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the Early Middle Ages. It developed from the languages brought to Great Britain by Anglo-S ...

family.Wauchope p.2 She was the grandmother of

Patrick Sarsfield Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan ( 1655 – 21 August 1693) was an Irish army officer. Killed at Battle of Landen, Landen in 1693 while serving in the French Royal Army, he is now best remembered as an Irish patriot and military hero. Born ...

, the leading Jacobite general during the

Williamite War in Ireland The Williamite War in Ireland took place from March 1689 to October 1691. Fought between Jacobitism, Jacobite supporters of James II of England, James II and those of his successor, William III of England, William III, it resulted in a Williamit ...

. Another daughter Joan, married Felim O'Neill of the

Clandeboye Clandeboye or Clannaboy ( Irish ''Clann Aodha Buí'', "family of Hugh the Blond") was a kingdom of Gaelic Ireland, comprising what is now south County Antrim, north County Down, and the barony of Loughinsholin. The entity was relatively late in ...

O'Neill family. O'Demsey's sister Giles was the mother of Roche MacGeoghegan, Bishop of Kildare. Her grandson (through her son Niall) was Conall the Historian.

References

Bibliography

* Wauchope, Piers. ''Patrick Sarsfield and the Williamite War''. Irish Academic Press, 1992. 16th-century Irish nobility 17th-century Irish nobility Year of birth unknown 1638 deaths People from County Laois Irish knights Viscounts in the Peerage of Ireland Peers of Ireland created by Charles I {{Ireland-viscount-stub