Lawrence Dempsey facts for kids

Lawrence Dempsey (sometimes spelled Laurence Dempsey) was an important Irish soldier who lived in the 1600s. He is remembered for his military career and his role in Irish history.

Early Life and Military Start

Lawrence Dempsey was born into an Irish Catholic family. In his time, there were strict rules called the Penal Laws in Ireland. These laws made it very hard for Catholics to join the official Irish Army. Because of this, Dempsey decided to join armies in other countries.

He first joined a British group that fought in the Portuguese Restoration War from 1662 to 1668. After that, he moved to the French Army. He served in an Irish Regiment led by Thomas Dongan. This regiment was created by King Charles II of England to help his friend, King Louis XIV of France. Dempsey worked his way up and became a lieutenant colonel, which is a high rank in the army.

Serving King James II

Later, when James II became King, he made big changes to the Irish Army. He wanted more experienced Irish Catholic officers to lead. Lawrence Dempsey was one of these officers. He was put in charge of a cavalry regiment, which is a group of soldiers who fight on horseback.

Dempsey and other officers had a very important job. They had to train many new Catholic soldiers who were joining the army. They did a lot of this training at special camps in a place called Curragh in 1686 and 1687. Their goal was to make the army stronger and more professional.

War and Final Battle

Lawrence Dempsey fought for the Jacobite side during a conflict known as the War of the Two Kings. This war was a big fight for control of Ireland.

On June 22, 1690, Dempsey was badly hurt during a battle at the Moyry Pass. This fight happened just before the famous Battle of the Boyne. He was taken to Oldbridge but sadly died three days later. Even though the Jacobites won that particular fight, losing Dempsey was a huge blow. People called it a pyrrhic victory, which means a victory that costs too much because you lose something very valuable, like an experienced leader.