Lea Castle - Portarlington, Laois County, Ireland
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Portarlington, a town straddling Counties Laois and Offaly (Formerly Queen’s County & King’s County) in Ireland, was once the land of the O’Dempseys and Lea Castle. In 1694 it became the home to a substantial Huguenot settlement, French Protestants, with names such as Blanc, Camelin, Champ, Champagné, Des Voeux, Lalande, Micheau, Pilot, Vignoles, and the French church is still is use today. James Gandon’s masterpiece, Emo Court, where the Dawon, Dawson-Damer family lived as Earls of Portarlington, is nearby. See Map of Ireland. The name Dempsey originated in the territory of Clanmalier on the borders of what are now Counties Laois and Offaly. They remained prominent in that area until the Williamite Wars. During the massacre of Mullaghmast in 1577 many of the Lalors clan were killed by an alliance of the O'Dempseys and English planters. SUGGESTED LINKS: |
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