Ireland's Battles and Battlefields
Total Page：16
File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb
— i|! ;; > :v: JH-v^iiiiiy ieicyiai-11 r\??j^riiit2>. j.nu. tj. The person charging ^^^.^^tl^lZ stamped below. Latest Date ^^ ^ ^^^ •"- *^ Theft, m«.Il..«.". ::;*'X"'r..««» »" *-"^' "«•••• "" for dlM«P«I«»«'Tr University. the r—t-r 333-MOO i 0i ;;'^- i^mogBt ^ow TtB L161—O-1096 tt EVENING TELEGRAPH" REPRIN'ts.—V. lEELAlSTD'S ATTLES AND BATTLEFIELDS A SERIES OF ARTICLES BY WESTON ST. J. JOYCE Reprinted from the ''^Evening Telegraph" DUBLIN: 4* 33 MIDDLE ABBEY STREET. 1886. r-f^- }£ii^Jkiii:-.w% div£i>it.^'. .•;.;j v-Olj v -.t-' - „. i.-. :' i ^'.^w ' - ••' ' .;» ; w yij^iim tCT :p-^.^ ^ fr-- .«l;_v'.' . C: -—i V'^^^^'--pVi^<^'f.. k I PREFACE In the following series of articles an endeavour has been made, without deference to eO sect or party, to truthfully delineate the leading battles fought on Irish soil from the Danish invasion down to modem times. From still earlier ages many great battles arc recorded ; but in those remote periods history was to such an extent encroached ujMn, if not superseded, by fable and romance, as to render any detailed accounts almost valueless, except as legendary classics. Even in the Danish period, chroniclers appear to have possessed but a rudimentary appreciation of sober, truthful narrative. Bombastic and extravagant exaggeration was their prevailing characteristic, and it is rather in collateral and incidental issues than in the main narrative that we must seek for authentic details. During the earlier portion of the Anglo-Norman period English historians are, as a rule, very prejudiced and untrustworthy ; "but in the later Anglo-Irish wars, the official military despatches are calmly and intelligibly written, and, on the whole, are fair and truthful. In the case of the Williamite wars the authorities are more conflicting than in any other Irish war ; but there are so many writers on this period, that a judicious examina- tion of them cannot fail to elicit the truth as to this great dynastic struggle. It will be observed that the Irish won most of the great battles till the Williamite wars. This may seem inconsistent with the continuity of English sovereignty in the country j but it should be recollected that these battles did not follow one another with sufl5cient rapidity to have any very marked result, that in the innumerable minor conflicts the English were more frequently victorious, and that the Irish, during long periods of their history, were so busily engaged in petty inter-tribal warfare that they had no time to devote to fighting the invader. The Danish war—the first dealt with in this series—ended at the battle of Clontarf, where the power of the fierce Vikings was crushed for ever in Ireland. A succession of petty dynastic wars occupied the attention of the country from that time till the ill- advised expedition of Robert Bruce, which left but little mark upon the sands of history, and terminated with the life of its unfortunate leader at the battle of Faughart hill in 1318. 759 455 ly . PEBFACB. Tho wiir of Hugh O'Neill Wiis tl\o most serious revolt ngniiist their sovereignty with wliich tlic Kuglish over had to contciid. After a sticcossion of victories leading up to the battle of tho Yellow Ford, followed by tho abortive cam[)aign of l']ssex, tho tide at length turned in favour of England, and the Irish, with their S])anish allies, in IGOI, met with a ruinous defeat at Kinsalo, Avhich completely broke up their forces, and loft tho country ^laralysed for a considerable period. From the insurrection of IG U to tho Confedorato war and tho close of CromwoH'g campaign in 1050, the country was one constant scene of tunudt and bloodshed, and the history of this period is extremely perplexing, owing to tho strange complications and multiplicity of parties. The Williamite struggle was tho sequel of the great "Revolution in England. James, renounced by his English subjects, found it convenient to espouse tho cause of tho Irish Catholics, and, with tho aid of France, hoped, if not to regain tho English throne, to at least establish an independent kingdom in Ireland. Throughout this campaign the individualities of the rival monarchs present a strong contrast, .and there is little doubt that the great difference in their personal characters contributed largely to the issue of this momentous conflict, which closes the writer's detailed record of " Ireland's Battles and BattleiieUls," which are herewith republished from tho columns of tho Evening Tdegrujih. ^uiie, issa. ——— . — <- ;; CONTENTS Ths Battles op Rilmasiioour, Siilcoit, and paoe i'iiE Battle of tub Cuulif.u Pas.\ IAOQ.— iaov OlenMAMA—919-1000 A.D.— First v sits of the iissex's continued march thr<ugh Man.ster— Danes to Ireland—They oHtabliHh thctnHelvua Besolve-i to return home—Skirmish at Kinni- In DubUn and Waterford—The Kattle of Kil- terstown—Death of .Sir Henry Norris— Essex mashogue—Revolt of the DalcassianH against reaches Duncanuon—His march back by the the Danes—Total defeat of Danes at Sul(:r)it— coast— Arrives in Dublin—Bed Hugh O'Dunnell Assassination of Kini< Mahon by the Danes- besiege I Collooney (Jastle— English expedition Brian Bora succeeds him, and makes war unon to reli(!ve it un'ler Sir C. CliflFord—Clinord at- the Danes—His march through Leinster -The tempts to march from lioyle to Collooney ; ia Battle of Olenmama—Death of tho Danish attacked in the Curlicu Aiountains ; his annjr prince, Harold—The battlefield 3"6 routed and himself killed -The Governor's inonuineiit and tlie I'ass . Thk Battle of Clontarf, 1014 a. d.—Brian be- Yellow 29-31 comes Kinfc of Ireland—Uava(;os of tlie Danes- riiK Downfall of Usskx and the Campaign of Brian marches against them and lilorkadca MoUNTJOY AND Cakkw, 1600.—Essex's confer- Dublin—The blockade abandoned—Massing of ence with O'Neill at Ballyclinch'—E.ssex returns the Danish hosts in Dublin—IJrian ai^ain to London, is arretted and executed— Confer- marches on Dublin—Tho Jiattlo of Clontarf ence between Carew and Owny O'More— En- The battlefield—Death of King lirian, his son, courit(;r between the parties, and capture of Earl and grandson ... 7-11 of Oriiioude by Irish—The storming of (ilin Castle by Kii'^'Iisli -Surrender of The Careeii and Battles op tup, Bih;cf.s, l.'Jls- Carrigafoyle 1318. —Landing of Edw.ard Bruce in Ireland^ (/'astle — Ueatli of (Jwny O'.More near Jlarybioro' 32-M - Capture of Dundalk—Siege of Carrickfergiis I'liE Sii;ge a.vd Battle of Ki.nsale. —Arrival of Castle—Battle of Athenry—The IJruoes march Spanish fleet under Don Juau iitil Aguilha in on Dublin—Vigorous measures of tiie citizens- Kins;ile Harbour—Red lIughO'Donnell'sraarch Edward Bruce marches to Dundalk—Battle of through the Slieve Felim Mountains—Arrival Fai^hart—Death of Bruce, and total defeiit of of the English army—They invest Kinsale by the Scots ll"li] land anil sea—Surrender of Rincorran and The Wars of Hugh O'Neill.—The Irish besiege Castle-na-P.ark—Arrival of Hugh O'Neill—Dis- be' wccn Irish EnniskiUen Castle—The English despatch a sensions and Spaniards—O'Neill's propos.als • conToy of provisions to its relief—"The Battle overruled—The battle—Total defeat of Irish Spaniard.s . of the Biscuits "—Capture of the crmvoy and the and 86-39 surrender of Enniskiilen—The i5,ittle of Clon- The Sack of Duxbdy and the Retreat of tibret—Encounter between O'Neill ami Sea- Ddnal (VSullivan Be\re, 1602-3.—Surrender grave—Tlie Irish besiege Armagh—A convoy of the Irish fortresses by Don Juan Del Agnilha sent to its relief—O'Neill captures tho convoy —O'Sullivan Beare takes possession of hia His strategy—The battle before Armagh—Sur- ancestral Castle of Dunboy and expels the render of the town 15-18 Spaniards—The English march on Dunboy—The rrRRELLSPASS AND Drumfluicii, 1597.—Feach siege and stonning of the Castle—The garrison MacHugh O' Byrne killed—Tyrrell's expedition hanged—Description of present remains of —Tyrrellapass, description of—The battle— castle—O'Sullivan homeless, retires with his Siege of Hallyshannon Castle—Storming and people to the mountains—Sets out fr m Glen- Capture of Portmore by Deputy Borough Larriff for Leitrim—His route—Is pursued and O'Neill's unsuccessful attack on Portmore harassed by his enemies—Repulses every attack Conference with O'Neill . 19--22 —The survivors reach O'Ruarc's castle . 39-42 Bellanaboy or the Vellow Ford, 1508.— The Battle of Bexhuub, 164G.—The English O'Neill's demands and Queen Elizabeth's reply— asseirtbb' in the north to march on Kilkenny O'Neill pardoned—O'Neill appears before Port- Owen Kiie O'Neill resolves to intercept them more—Consternation in Dublin— Expedition to He encamps on tlie Blackwater at Benburb relieve the fort—English massed at Aiinagh Tiie English general, Munroe, marches to Bagenal's advance on the Yellow Ford—The Armagh and thence by a circuit'ms route ad- battle—Death of Bagenal—Explosion of English vances on Benburb—Positions of the English powder magazine—Bout of the English—Survi- and Irish armies—The battle—O'Neill's tactics vors retire to Armagh—Surrender of Armagh —The Irish attack at sunset—The charge- andPortmore—The battlefield 22-2G Defeat and retreat of the English-The battle- The Disastrous Campaign op Essex, 1599.— lii;ld ., .. 43-46 Essex appointed viceroy—Land sin Dublin with The B vttlefields of Rathmines andCulleks- immense army—Marches for Munster—His WOOD, 1209-1649.—Old Rathmines the district of progress—"The Rattle of the Plumes"—Bar- Cullen—CuUenswood—Bristoli.on settlement in nagutty—Reaches Kilkenny—Captures Cahir Dublin—The colony annihilated by the Castle—Defeat of English under Sir Henry mountain septs at CuUenswood on Easter Harrington near B!>Jitinglass 26-29 ^Monday—"The Bloody Fields "—«anyA«r*'''' .-jte--aia..a..v.