From Hillside Drive, Mullingar and late of Athlone, Sean Dempsey passed away on Friday, April 7th, 2017. Sean served Mullingar Shamrocks as club Chairman during the mid-1980s and was a driving force behind the revival of the club at that time. When the Shamrocks annexed their first SFC title in 20 years - and only their third ever - in 1996, Sean was Chairman. It was the start of a golden era that would yield seven titles in ten years. A native of Athlone and a successful businessman who developed a thriving fruit and vegetable business, Sean Dempsey's involvement in Mullingar Shamrocks began when his sons started to play for the club and he was a wonderful servant to the town unit, helping transform their fortunes after a disappointing couple of decades. At the time of the death, he had three generations of his family actively involved with Mullingar Shamrocks - daughter Sandra (Costello), grandsons Darren and Glen, and great-grandson Jack. 

As a pacey and stylish forward, Sean represented Athlone with distinction on the field of play, figuring on the six-in-a-row side, most prominently scoring three points from left half forward in the 0-9 to 0-8 victory over Mental Hospital in the 1958 SFC final. A member of the first Westmeath team to win the O'Byrne Cup, he also represented Ballymore against his former team-mates in the 1965 final, where Athlone again won the day. Sean was a proud man when his grandson Shane helped St Loman's to the 2013 Westmeath SFC before progressing onto the county senior team.