Born: 19 March 1817, Athy, County Kildare
Entered: 06 August 1859, Florissant MO, USA - Missouriana Province (MIS)
Final vows: 15 August 1871
Died: 01 November 1884, Florissant MO, USA - Missouriana Province (MIS)

Born: 08 July 1826, Athy, County Kildare
Entered: 18 September 1858, Sault-au-Rècollet Canada - Franciae Province (FRA)
Professed: 15 August 1869
Died: 06 June 1901, Fordham College, NY, USA - Marylandiae Neo-Eboracensis Province (MARNEB)

Born: 14 October 1813, Dublin City, County Dublin
Entered: 13 September 1843, Drongen, Belgium (BELG)
Ordained: - pre Entry
Final Vows: 02 February 1860
Died: 31 March 1898, Milltown Park, Dublin

Younger brother of Myles Gaffney - RIP 1861
Grand-nephew of John Austin - RIP 1784

by 1847 in St Paul’s Malta

◆ HIB Menologies SJ :
Younger brother of Myles Gaffney - RIP 1861. He had been Dean at Maynooth, and he resigned that position in order to spend the last years of his life in the Order his older brother had chosen long before him. Their Grand-uncle was the celebrated John Austin, a remarkable Jesuit in Dublin towards the middle of the eighteenth Century.

He did his first Ecclesiastical studies at the Little Seminary of Beauvais, France. From there he went to the Irish College in Rome, and was there in the days when Cardinal Cullen was President, and they had a good friendship. He gained three Doctorates at the Irish College, Philosophy, Laws and Divinity. After Ordination he returned to the Dublin Diocese and was appointed a Curate at Athy, and then Booterstown. And then just before his thirtieth birthday, he Entered the Society 13 September 1843.

By 1847 he had been sent to the Malta station, and he remained there for some time.
After that he was sent to Gardiner St, and spent close on forty years there, and was noted as one of the most active and zealous members of the Society in Ireland. He was mostly identified by Mission work, but he was also devoted to poor schools, particularly for the Catholic youth, who were under intense pressure of proselytism, He was seen as a man who brought salvation to these people. He established a ‘ragged’ school in Rutland St in close proximity to one of the proselytisers schools. He was so successful in attracting students that he had to seek larger premises, building a school on the site which became the St Francis Xavier School on Drumcondra Road. These schools were popularly known as “Father Gaffney’s Schools”.
1884 Failing health meant he had to abandon some of the active work and retire to Milltown. he remained there until his death 31 March 1898.
He was a man of marked ability. He was a profound Theologian and Philosopher, as well as an exceptional linguist, especially in Italian and French. During his years at Gardiner St, he was well known in Dublin, and admired and esteemed by all who knew him.
When he was moved to Milltown, there was a demonstration to keep him at Gardiner St. Later, the illness which caused his retirement became more severe, and his last days were ones of great suffering which he bore with resignation and fortitude. He died aged almost 85, and had spent fifty-five years in the Society. His funeral was held at Gardiner St and there was a large attendance of the clergy in the choir, and the laity filled the Church. Dr Leonard, Bishop of Cape Town presided.

◆ James B Stephenson SJ Menologies 1973

Father John Gaffney 1813-1898
The name of Fr Gaffney was a familiar one in the mouths of Catholics in Dublin in the ‘80s, and his memory will linger long as that of one who “rose in dark and evil days” to fight the battle of the Christian faith against unscrupulous opponents.

Born in Dublin on October 14th 1813, he was educated for the Church in the Petit Seminaire of Beauvais, France. After seven or eight years, he entered the Irish College Rome, in the days of Cardinal Cullen. He got a Doctorate in Philosophy, Theology and Canon Law.

On his return to the Dublin diocese, he was a curate first at Athy and then at Booterstown, but before his 30th birthday in 1843, he entered the Society of Jesus.

He worked for a time in Malta, but the greatest part of his life – 40 years – was spent in Gardiner Street. His main work was to fight against the proselytisers. With this object in view, he opened a school for poor children in Rutland Street, near a centre for souperism. So well did he succeed in his venture that he had to transfer to more extensive premises in Dorset Street, the site of the present day St Francis Xavier’s School. His efforts for the education of Dublin’s poor will cause no surprise when we recall that he was a grand-nephew of Fr John Austin SJ, who had done so much himself in this same cause at the end of the previous century.

Fr Gaffney died at Milltown Park on March 31st 1896. His elder brother, Dr Miles Gaffney had been Senior Dean at Maynooth College and had become a Jesuit in his last years, and predeceased John in 1861.

Born: 27 March 1895, Athy, County Kildare / Station House Hotel, Orange, NSW, Australia
Entered: 17 September 1913, St Stanislaus College, Tullabeg, County Offaly
Died: 30 October 1961, Greenfield Road, Mount Merrion, Dublin

Left Society of Jesus: 14 August 1919

Father was a Hotel keeper and died in 1909. Mother also died in 1909

Youngest of a family on nine with six boys and three girls (1 deceased)

Education was a succession of changes: Sisters of Mercy in Orange followed by the Christian Brothers, the Sisters of Charity in Concord, and then the Christian Brothers in Lewisham. In 1908 he went to St Aloysius College at Milson’s Point. After school he spent some months at Wright, Heaton & Co, Forwarding Agents in Sydney, while waiting for a position in the Sydney Harbour Trust, at which he worked until he joined the Society.

Received by Father John Ryan, Superior of the Australian Mission and sent to Tullabeg.

1913-1915: St Stanislaus College, Tullabeg, , Novitiate
1915-1918: Rathfarnham Castle, studying Rhetoric and UCD
1918-1919: St Aloysius Jersey Channel Islands (FRA) studying

https://humphrysfamilytree.com/ORahilly/dempsey.html

Vaughan Dempsey,
Vaughan B. Dempsey, Irish-Australian, Catholic,
born 1895, Orange, NSW, Australia, or 1894 [burial record].
He was youngest child. His parents had died by 1907, him age 12 (though he had grown-up siblings and other family).
He was educ in Ireland. B.A. and M.A. degrees at N.U.I. Jan 1922.

Irish consul to France, 1923 to at least 1928:
In Feb 1922 he was secretary to the Irish Delegation to France.
In 1923 he was appointed Head of Mission to France, listed as "the representative of Saorstat Eireann in France".
Lived Paris.
He gave an address to Irish WWI veterans and their WWI allies at grave of France's Unknown Soldier, Paris, Thur 10 July 1924. The British military were also present at this friendly event - despite the recent Anglo-Irish war. Dempsey referred to them in his speech to the Irish veterans: "Having fought, what greater ambition could you now put before yourself than to work for the ideal of peace - peace within your own shores, peace with your great neighbour, whose flag is represented today beside your own, and peace with the whole world." He paid tribute to the WWI allied fight against Germany: "Ireland .. has come .. to prove by this act of homage that she took her stand with loyalty and sacrifice by the side of the great nations in the fight for liberty and civilisation."
The speech caused controversy. In the Dail, Tue 15 July, 1924, deputy Sean Milroy, TD complains about the speech: "He was speaking for Saorstat Eireann, and so far as I know Germany has never been included in the enemies of Saorstat Eireann, and I think it is highly improper for a representative of the Saorstat to describe it in this way."

He mar 20 Mar 1926, Paris, to Doreen O'Rahilly [born 18 Sept 1904]. No issue.
Alfred O'Rahilly wrote to him, asked him to keep eye on Doreen, at school in France. He ended up marrying her.
He is listed as "Agent-General in Paris" in Irish Senate, 11 July, 1928.
"Mrs. Vaughan Dempsey" listed at funeral of Gerald Griffin 1932.
They settled back in Ireland.
He gave a speech at The Mansion House, Dublin, Friday 13th October, 1933.
They lived 38 Greenfield Rd, Mount Merrion, Co.Dublin, from 1935 until his death.
Listed at 38 Greenfield Rd in [Thom's, 1936] to [Thom's, 1958].
They both were at Nell's funeral, 1939.
He is described as "retired civil servant" in burial record.

Death, 1961:
He died at his home, 38 Greenfield Rd, Mount Merrion, 30 Oct 1961, age 66 yrs, or 67 yrs [burial record].
See death notice in Irish Times, October 31, 1961 and November 1, 1961.
Funeral 1 Nov at Mount Merrion Catholic church. He was buried in Deansgrange Cemetery, Co.Dublin.
Doreen was living 38 Greenfield Rd as at 1961.
She is gone from there by [Thom's, 1965].
She died pre-1969.