{{Short description|Gaelic football manager}} '''Luke Dempsey''' (born 1959) is a Gaelic football manager. His managerial career began in 1994.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.kildarenow.com/news/sport/535947/kildare-s-luke-dempsey-manager-supreme.html|title=Kildare's Luke Dempsey: manager supreme|publisher=Kildare Now|first=Tommy|last=Callaghan|date=18 April 2020}}</ref> He has managed three county teams: Westmeath, Longford and Carlow, as well as several clubs in Kildare, Westmeath and Meath.
==Career== Dempsey guided Westmeath to an All-Ireland Minor Football Championship title in 1995 and to an All-Ireland Under-21 Football Championship title in 1999, then in his first season as senior manager led the team to an All-Ireland Senior Football Championship quarter-final.<ref name=means/> He left Westmeath at the end of August 2003.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-football/dempsey-decides-to-quit-westmeath-25936473.html|title=Dempsey decides to quit Westmeath|work=Irish Independent|first=Paddy|last=Hickey|date=28 August 2003|quote=Dempsey led Westmeath to the All-Ireland minor title in 1995 and the All-Ireland U-21 crown in 1999 before taking over from Brendan Lowry as senior manager.}}</ref>
From 1995 until 2017, Dempsey's managerial roles were with: the Westmeath minor team (1995/1996), the Westmeath under-21 team (1997/1998/1999/2000), the Westmeath senior team (2001/2002/2003), the Carlow senior team (2004, on an interim basis), the Longford senior team (2005/2006/2007/2008), the Carlow senior team (2009/2010/2011/2012), Kildare GAA club Moorefield (2013/2014) and Westmeath GAA club St Loman's (2015/2016/2017).<ref name=best_ever/><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/sport/gaelic-games/luke-dempsey-enjoying-managerial-merry-go-round-1.3316889|title=Luke Dempsey enjoying managerial merry-go-round|work=The Irish Times|first=Ian|last=O'Riordan|date=6 December 2017}}</ref>
He was appointed Longford manager in September 2004 and remained in that role until resigning in July 2008.<ref>{{cite web |title=Past Longford Managers |url=https://longfordgaelicstats.ie/managers/ |website=Longford Gaelic Stats}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2004/0911/185700-longford/|title=Dempsey takes charge in Longford|publisher=RTÉ|date=11 September 2004}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/football/2008/0719/234899-dempseyl/|title=Dempsey calls time on Longford reign|publisher=RTÉ|date=19 July 2008}}</ref>
Dempsey led Moorefield to the 2014 Kildare Senior Football Championship, then returned to Westmeath as manager of the St Loman's club.<ref name=best_ever>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.ie/sport/gaelic-games/gaelic-football/luke-dempsey-its-our-best-ever-chance-to-beat-royals-31330710.html|title=Luke Dempsey: It's our best ever chance to beat Royals|work=Irish Independent|first=Declan|last=Rooney|date=25 June 2015|quote=The fact that Dempsey refers to Westmeath as 'we' should not disguise his true colours. He is often referred to as a 'Westmeath native', but he is in fact Kildare-born... 'I am a Kildare native, I've always loved Kildare and I'll be shouting for them too on Sunday', he says. 'When I was ten I moved to Carlow and it was only when I got the job in Westmeath in 1981 and moved here the following year that I formed the connection'. A Westmeath resident... He stepped down as Westmeath manager after the '03 season when the county board asked him to interview for his own job.}}</ref> His managerial record also includes leading the St Loman's club to the retention of a Westmeath Senior Football Championship title for the first time in its history, this achieved in 2016.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2016/1030/828039-luke-dempsey/|title=St Loman's manager says Shane Dempsey was the difference|publisher=RTÉ|date=30 October 2016}}</ref> He led St Loman's to a Leinster Senior Club Football Championship final against his former club Moorefield in 2017.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.rte.ie/sport/gaa/2017/1207/925701-dempsey-keen-to-take-care-of-business-with-st-lomans/|title=Luke Dempsey keen to take care of business with St Loman's|publisher=RTÉ|date=7 December 2017}}</ref> He was appointed manager of Meath GAA club Gaeil Colmcille in 2021.<ref name=Hogan_Stand_2021>{{cite news|url=https://www.hoganstand.com/Article/Index/321138|title=Dempsey appointed Gaeil Colmcille manager|work=Hogan Stand|date=14 November 2021}}</ref> He left after one season and was appointed manager of Longford GAA club Killoe Young Emmets in November 2022.<ref>{{cite web |title=Dempsey takes charge of Killoe - HoganStand |url=https://hoganstand.com/County/Ladies/Article/Index/325885 |website=hoganstand.com}}</ref>
==Personal life== Dempsey is originally from County Kildare,<ref name=best_ever/> a native of Johnstownbridge.<ref name=Hogan_Stand_2021/> He lived in County Carlow from the age of ten.<ref name=best_ever/> However, he later moved to live in Westmeath after securing a job there in 1981, teaching mathematics at St Joseph's SC in Rochfortbridge.<ref name=best_ever/> After setting out teaching there in 1981 as a 21-year-old, he managed St Joseph's Rochfortbridge to a Leinster Colleges Senior Football Championship title in 2020, a year before retiring.<ref name=means>{{cite news|url=https://www.westmeathindependent.ie/2020/07/24/it-means-the-world-to-me-luke-dempsey/|title='It means the world to me' – Luke Dempsey|work=Westmeath Independent|date=24 July 2020}}</ref>
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-sports}} {{succession box | title = Westmeath Senior Football Manager | before = Brendan Lowry | after = Páidí Ó Sé | years = 2000–2003 }} {{s-end}}
{{Westmeath county football team managers}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dempsey, Luke}} Category:1959 births Category:Living people Category:Gaelic football managers Category:Irish schoolteachers Category:Irish mathematics educators