Dempsey, Peter, 1914-2004, Capuchin priest

Seamus Dempsey was born in Nenagh in County Tipperary on 14 September 1914. He joined the Capuchin Franciscans in October 1932 and took Peter as his religious name. His early education was in Roscrea College before taking degree courses in philosophy in University College Cork. He was ordained to the priesthood at Ard Mhuire Friary in County Donegal in September 1939. He spent the war years in Rome studying theology and scripture and obtained a Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (1943) and a Doctorate in Sacred Theology (1944). He took his PhD from the University of Montreal in Canada in 1950. He published widely about psychology. In 1950 he published ‘The Psychology of Sarte’. This was followed two years later by ‘Psychology for All’ which was translated into French, Italian, Spanish, and Japanese. In 1957 he published ‘Freud, Psychoanalysis and Catholicism’ in Oxford which went into French, Italian and Spanish editions. One of his principal interests was the use of psychology in industrial relations and he gave lectures on this subject to the Irish Management Institute, trade union organisations and to students in Queen’s University, Belfast, and in various academic institutes in Europe and in North America. He was a full-time member of staff in University College Cork for thirty-one years and founded the Chair of Applied Psychology, a position he held until his retirement in 1982. He died in Cork on 21 February 2004 and was buried in the cemetery attached to the Capuchin Friary in Rochestown.

Baptismal name: Seamus Dempsey
Religious name: Fr. Peter Dempsey OFM Cap.
Date of birth: 14 Sep. 1914
Place of birth: Summer Hill, Nenagh, County Tipperary (Diocese of Killaloe)
Name of father: Paul Dempsey (Professor of Science)
Name of mother: Agnes Dempsey (née Condon)
Date of parents’ marriage: 9 July 1908
Date of reception into the Capuchin Order: 3 Oct. 1932
Date of first profession: 4 Oct. 1933
Date of final profession: 4 Oct. 1936
Date of ordination (as priest): 17 Sept. 1939
Educational attainments: BA, 2nd class hons. (1936); Licentiate in Sacred Scripture (1943); Doctorate in Sacred Theology (1944); MA (1946); PhD, Montreal (1950).
Date of death: 21 Feb. 2004
Place of death: Cork
Place of burial: Cemetery, Rochestown Capuchin Friary, County Cork