Local Faces: Tina Dempsey

This week, Ken Doyle talks to community activist Tina Dempsey from Deansrath in Clondalkin

Clondalkin’s Tina Dempsey is a woman of action. When she sees that something is needed in her community, she just goes ahead and provides it.

After an, at times, difficult start in life, she’s grown into an award-winning and public-spirited community asset in her home area of Deansrath. We’re delighted that she’s agreed to be our subject this week.

“I’ve lived my whole life in Deansrath,” she tells me, “and I love the place. Anything I can do to make it a nicer place to live for everyone, I’m determined to do.”

Tina was educated at Deansrath Community College, but as she tells me, she didn’t really get the chance to finish her schooling and do the Leaving Certificate as planned.

“My education finished when I was 16. I got the shock of my life to find out I was pregnant with my son Aaron. So instead of studying, I was changing nappies. I wouldn’t change a thing though, he’s twenty now and doing great.”

By the time Aaron arrived, Tina’s dear mother Christine had tragically passed away at the young age of 45 so a big part of her support network was missing.

“She never got to see Aaron, which was heartbreaking for me but I’m very lucky that the rest of my family pitched in and helped me in all sorts of ways. They supported me and made sure that in some ways, I still got to be a teen.”

Daughter Molly would come along some years later and she now plays the role of Tina’s little helper.

Tina’s community work began in the bad old days of the Covid pandemic, Tina tells me, “I knew from speaking to my friends and neighbours in the area that people’s mental health was deteriorating through the lack of a social outlet.”

“So I decided to run a socially distanced outdoor bingo night for the people of Deansrath. I got some local businesses to provide some prizes and we all got together and had a great night.”

T&C Bingo as it was named proved to be a huge success, to such an extent that it’s still going strong years later. “We’ve moved it indoors now and we do it online but I’m delighted that people got so much out of it that they wanted to keep it going.”

“My dad loves it and he never misses it and people have formed great friendships through it. It’s now on every Saturday evening and is open to everyone. If anyone is interested, they should check out the T&C Bingo Facebook page.”

That was just the start for Tina.

“If there’s one complaint you’ll hear from the people of Deansrath, it’ll be that there’s nothing for the kids to do in the area. So again, I decided to put something on for them.”

“I put on a family fun day for all the kids and they loved it. We had games, music and all sorts of things to keep them entertained. That’s now grown into a four-times-a-year event. We have an Easter one, one in the summer, one at Halloween and, of course, a Christmas one.”

It can be pointed out now that Tina doesn’t take a penny for this work. Some local businesses provide prizes and Tina runs raffles to bump up the funding. “I’ve always got a book of tickets in my hand,” she laughs.

Tina’s good work was beginning to get noticed outside Deansrath, something that was made clear to her when she was nominated for a ‘Women of South Dublin’ award. Then she won a Clondalkin ‘Hero Award,’ her work being championed by local counsellor Trevor Gilligan.

Tina’s motivation for doing what she does is very simple, “I like to make people happy. It’s great to see my friends, neighbours and the local kids with big smiles on their faces.”

Tina is hoping to expand on her gift for helping people in the future, whilst always keeping her Deansrath work at the forefront of her mind. “I’d love to do more work helping people.

‘Hopefully I’ll get a chance to do a few more things in the new year.”

For more information on all of Tina’s upcoming events, check out the T&C Bingo page on Facebook.