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  • Irish Battles

    Battle of the Yellow Ford



    Fought on the 14th August 1598 as part of the Irish Nine Years War.

    4000 English troops, many of whom were in fact Irish, marched from Armagh under the command of Henry Bagenal to relieve a fort on the River Blackwater. Opposing the English were the forces of Hugh O’Neill, Hugh O’Donnell and Hugh Maguire. In addition to the Irish troops there were also Scottish mercenaries and Spanish military advisers. The English line of march was a road through hilly, wooded terrain, with boggy valleys. To add to their problems the Irish had dug trenches across the road and thrown up breastworks along it.

    As soon as the march from Armagh began, the Irish started a series of ambushes on the English troops. They became disorganised and contact was lost between groups as they halted to fight off an ambush. An artillery piece became bogged down and the group trying to free it was left behind and the powder wagon blew up when it was ignited by a matchlock fuse. At this point Bagenal was killed by a ball to the head. In the confusion, Irish horse and infantry charged the head of the column which had reached the Yellow Ford and cut them to pieces. The column then turned around and fought its way back to Armagh which was promptly besieged by the Irish. After two days the English evacuated to Dublin.

    English casualties were approximately 2000. The Irish lost 200 killed and 600 wounded.

    Not a Lot of People Know This; O’Neill was Bagenal’s brother in law, having eloped with his sister Mabel in the early 1590s. Poor Mabel died within a few years and Bagenal blamed her death on O’Neill who was a rotten husband and a serial philanderer.
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    Originally posted by hedgehog
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  • #2
    Wasn't it the heaviest death toll for a battle in Ireland? For the English that is.
    You will never have a quiet world until you knock the patriotism out of the human race

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    • #3
      Originally posted by Fireplace View Post
      Wasn't it the heaviest death toll for a battle in Ireland? For the English that is.
      Aughrim cost the Williamites 3000 dead. But of course Williamites could have been Dutch, English, Irish, Danes or Germans.And many of the "English" dead at Yellow Ford were Irish.
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      Originally posted by hedgehog
      My favourite moment was when the
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      • #4
        The Battle of Knockdoe
        The Battle of Knockdoe was fought on 19th August 1504. It had no real political significance, being basically a feud between medieval warlords. Yet it was one of the bloodiest battles in Irish history. The fight was between the Gearóid Mór Fitzgerald, who happened to be the King's Deputy, and Ulick Burke, a troublemaker from Clanrickarde, south Galway. Burke or De Burgo wanted to establish himself as lord of all of Connaught. He had attacked and destroyed castles of the O'Kellys - Lords of Ui tate>Mainetate>, in Monivea, Garbally and Castleblakeney. In addition, Ulick, as Earls will, was living in with O'Kelly's wife. At the same time he was married to Fitzgerald’s daughter, Eustacia, another Casus Belli.

        Siding with Fitzgerald were leading families of Ulster, Leinster and Connaught, O’Donnells. O’Connors and Mac Dermotts and the Burkes of Mayo, another branch of the De Burgo family. All joined forces with the Earl of Kildare to put manners on Ulick.
        Burke had the support of the chiefs of tate>Munstertate>, the O’Briens of Thomond, MacNamaras, Kennedys and Carrolls.The last two being names in my family tree. We could never pick a winner. Scottish mercenaries fought on both sides. These lads used battle axes as their main weapon which may have given the hill on which the battle was fought it’s name, Cnoc Tuagh, the Hill of the Axes. In all there were about 10,000 participants, with Burke outnumbered 3 to 2. 1500 of Burkes men died while 1000 died on the Fitzgerald side. The battle lasted all day ending in a victory for the Fitzgeralds. Next day they moved on to Galway, looting ClaregalwayCastle en route and taking hostage two sons and a daughter of Burke.

        Some sources say this was the first battle in Irish history where gunpowder was used. There were huge casualties on both sides and Ulick Burke was defeated after a day's vicious fighting. The Burkes of Clanrickard faded into obscurity for some decades after the battle. Around the summit of Knockdoe are many cairns where the dead of the battle are buried.One mound is reputed to be the graves of the two sons of O’Brien of Thomond.
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        • #5
          Gearóid Mór Fitzgerald

          Gearóid Mór Fitzgerald, born 1456, was the 8th Earl of Kildare, succeeding to the title in 1477. He was also Lord Deputy of Ireland and the most powerful of the Irish nobles of his generation. His parents were Thomas Fitzgerald, the 7th Earl, and Jane Fitzgerald, daughter of the 6th Earl of Desmond. Fitzgerald was known as Gearóid Mór or the Great Earl.

          The background to Gearóid’s rise to power was the English Wars of the Roses. He was appointed Lord Deputy by Edward IV and retained the title when the Yorkists were crushed and replaced by the Tudor Henry VII in 1485. Despite the fact that he supported a pretender to the throne in the shape of Lambert Simnel, Fitzgerald stayed in power until 1494, when he was denounced for treason by enemies in Ireland, summoned to London and locked in the Tower. At his trial he convinced Henry he was innocent, returned to Ireland in triumph as Lord Deputy again in 1496. In a rampage of sorting out little problems he put down a rebellion in Cork in 1500, where he hung the Mayor, and on to Connacht in 1504 where he sorted Clanrickarde et al. On campaign against the O’Carrolls in 1513, Gearóid Mór was mortally wounded and died on September 3rd to be succeeded by his son Gearóid Óg.

          Happily the Fitzgeralds are still with us in the shape of Maurice Fitzgerald, 9th Duke of Leinster.
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          Originally posted by hedgehog
          My favourite moment was when the
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          • #6
            The Battle of Rathmines

            The Battle of Rathmines took place near Dublin on 2nd August 1649. At that time Dublin was one of only two places in Ireland occupied by an English Parliamentary Garrison (the other was Derry). Parliament had lately been the victor in the English Civil War and had executed King Charles I in January. English Royalists in Ireland had proclaimed Charles Stuart as King Charles II in Kinsale and then negotiated an alliance with the Catholic Confederacy which had been in rebellion since 1641. The Confederate armies were commanded by James Butler, Duke of Ormond.
            In July Ormond moved his army, 11,000 strong towards Dublin and began occupying it’s outlying villages. The city was of course, far smaller 350 years ago. Ormond took Rathfarnham Castle, Baggotsrath Castle (where Baggot Bridge is today) and Rathgar, where they set up camp in Palmerston Park.
            The garrison at Baggotsrath was attacked by the Parliamentary forces commanded by Col Michael Jones on August 2nd and fell back on their camp in Rathgar. The Confederates hadn’t been expecting the Parliamentarians to leave the city and were not in battle formation. Ormond and his commanders committed small forces to battle as a delaying tactic until they could get their main body of troops prepared. Jones’ cavalry however simply outflanked each group and sent them fleeing in disarray in their turn, adding to the confusion. Eventually a large force under Lord Inchquin set up a determined rearguard action and allowed the survivors to retreat. The battle was a disaster for the Royalist cause. They lost 3,000 men killed and another 2000 captured. In addition they lost their artillery and baggage trains. More importantly the victory secured a landing port for the army of Oliver Cromwell.


            Cromwell Lands in Ireland

            Admiral Robert Blake blockaded the Royalist fleet under Prince Rupert of the Rhine in Kinsale and Oliver Cromwell landed at Ringsend on August 15th with a fleet of 35 ships filled with troops and equipment. Henry Ireton landed two days later with a further 77 ships.

            Not a Lot of People Know This; The Bleeding Horse is a pub in Camden St. Legend has it that a wounded horse walked into the tavern on the site during the battle. Hence the name.

            Hedgehog of course will tell me it’s just anmed after any bleedin’ horse.
            Last edited by Groundhog; 22 August 2008, 22:50.
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            Originally posted by hedgehog
            My favourite moment was when the
            Originally posted by hedgehog
            red headed old dear got a smack on her ginger head

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            • #7
              Colonel Michael Jones

              Michael Jones was born about 1608, the second son of Lewis Jones, a Welshman who became Bishop of Killaloe. He trained as a lawyer and was admitted to the King's Inns in Dublin in 1640 but became a soldier in the Earl of Kildare's regiment on the outbreak of the Confederate War, rising to the rank of major. As a staunch Protestant, Jones was suspicious of the King's negotiations with the Confederates and refused to fight for the Royalists when the Cessation of Arms was signed in 1643. He defected to the Parliamentarian army and served with Sir William Brereton's forces in Cheshire, participating in the siege of Chester and the battle of Rowton Heath in 1645. Jones was appointed governor of Chester after its surrender in February 1646.

              In April 1647, Jones was appointed governor of Dublin and commander of Parliament's forces in Leinster. Unfortunately for Jones, when he returned to Ireland in June 1647 Dublin was in the hands of the Royalists, luckily for him, the King's lord-lieutenant, the Marquis of Ormond, preferred to surrender the city to Parliament rather than allow it to fall into the hands of the Catholic Confederates. In August, Jones marched relieve Trim, which was besieged by the Confederates under General Thomas Preston. Jones won a major victory over Preston on 8th August at Dungan's Hill, where the Confederate army of Leinster was virtually annihilated.

              In October 1647, Jones co-operated with Colonel Monck, commander of Parliament's Ulster forces, in a bold campaign to drive Owen Roe O'Neill out of northern Leinster and to establish garrisons at strongpoints along the River Boyne. By the end of 1647, they had secured Leinster for Parliament. During 1648, an internal civil war broke out within the Confederacy when Archbishop Rinuccini and Owen Roe O'Neill refused to accept a truce with Lord Inchiquin. Jones negotiated a separate truce with O'Neill in August 1648 that allowed him to consolidate his control of Dublin and the Pale while the Confederates were preoccupied with their internal struggle. Jones' example of negotiating with O'Neill was followed the following year by Monck at Dundalk and Sir Charles Coote at Londonderry.

              Early in 1649, the Marquis of Ormond succeeded in forming a coalition of Royalist and Confederate forces under the Second Ormond Peace. The Ulster Scots also joined the coalition after the execution of King Charles. Ormond was determined to recapture Dublin and initially attempted to persuade Jones to abandon the regicide Parliament and surrender the city. Upon Jones' refusal, Ormond besieged Dublin in June 1649. Jones conducted a vigorous defence that culminated in a spectacular victory over Ormond at the battle of Rathmines in August 1649. Jones attempted to follow up his victory by immediately marching against Drogheda but the garrison rejected his summons and he did not have enough forces to besiege or storm the town.

              Jones' victory at Rathmines enabled Cromwell's army to land unopposed in Ireland in mid-August 1649. Appointed lieutenant-general to Cromwell, Jones served on the Irish campaign at the sieges of Drogheda and Wexford, where he captured Rosslare. Jones became ill on the march from the unsuccessful siege of Waterford in November 1649 and he died of fever in Dungarvan on 10th December.
              Last edited by Groundhog; 25 August 2008, 23:40.
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              Originally posted by hedgehog
              My favourite moment was when the
              Originally posted by hedgehog
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              • #8
                Battle of CurlewPass
                Fought on the 15th August 1599 as part of the Irish Nine Years War.

                Robert Devereux, Earl of Essex took over as Lord Lieutenant of Ireland in April 1599. His mission was to subdue the rebellion of the Ulster chiefs, now in it’s sixth year. As part of the mission he encouraged one of the Irish Chieftains loyal to the Crown, Donogh O’Connor of Sligo, to push the O’Donnells back out of those parts of his territory they had occupied and strike north to Ballyshannon as a preliminary to an invasion of western Ulster.

                To assist in this invasion a force was despatched from Galway to Sligo commanded by Tibbot na Long Burke. Hugh O’Donnell launched a pre-emptive attack and besieged O’Connor in CollooneyCastle, sending 600 men to occupy Sligo town to prevent the English landing. Essex then ordered a force north from Athlone commanded by Conyers Clifford to relieve CollooneyCastle.

                Getting word of the English advance O’Donnell left 300 men besieging the castle and marched south with 1500 troops to Dunavaragh, Co. Roscommon. Here he was joined by a small number of reinforcements under Conor MacDermott and Brian Óg O'Rourke. Ambush sites were prepared at two passes through the Curlew Mountains, along the English line of march. O’Donnell had trees felled and placed along the road to impede the English progress. As soon as the enemy passed through Boyle and headed for the western pass, O’Donnell positioned his troops. Musketeers, archers and javelin men were placed in the woods alongside the road to harass the English while the main body of infantry, armed with pikes and axes, were placed out of sight behind a mountain ridge.

                Meanwhile Clifford’s troops had reached the mountains at 4pm on 15th August. Rather than rest in Boyle, Clifford, believing the pass undefended, decided to press on and cross the mountain that evening. They reached the first barricade between Boyle and Ballinafad where they were attacked by the Irish soldiers. The Irish fired one volley and withdrew but as soona s the English had crossed the barricade they came under immediate harrassing fire from the woods to the side of the road. As they advanced the fire became heavier and heavier until at last the English halted and engaged in a firefight lasting an hour and a half before they ran out of powder. At that moment O’Rourke and his men, who had been stationed at the eastern pass, arrived to reinforce the Irish soldiers. The English broke and fled at this point, although their leader, Alexander Radcliffe, died leading a pike charge against the Irish.

                The retreating soldiers crashed into the main body of English troops causing mayhem in the ranks whereupon the Irish, concealed behind the hill, charged them. In the ensuing melee, the English commander, Clifford, was piked to death. The English fled in disarray, a complete rout being averted by an uphill cavalry charge led by Sir Griffin Markham and his cousin John Harrington. The English were pursued back to Boyle where they sought sanctuary in Boyle Abbey. In all they lost 500 men dead. Clifford’s head was hacked from his body and HugH O’Donnell brought it back to Collooney Castle to encourage O’Connor to surrender, which he did. In addition O’Connor defected from the English camp. With the north west invasion route closed, Essex was left with the option of forcing his way into Ulster through the north east. Instead he agreed a truce with O’Neill and returned to England where he was later tried for treason and executed. His failure in Ireland did not lead directly to his fall from grace but it didn’t help.

                The Curlew Pass was the scene of a second Irish victory in August 1602.
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                Originally posted by hedgehog
                My favourite moment was when the
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                • #9
                  The Battle of Dungan’s Hill
                  In June 1647, the first contingents of the New Model Army landed in Ireland under the command of Colonel Michael Jones. Fresh from it’s victory in the English Civil War, the Westminster Parliament turned its attention to the reconquest of Ireland which had been in rebellion since 1641 and which was under the control of either Irish or Roaylaist rebels. Lenient terms were offered to the Marquis of Ormond for the surrender of Dublin and the city was handed over to Jones on 19th June.

                  At the beginning of August 1647, Jones left Dublin with 4,000 Infantry and 800 Cavalry to raise the siege of Trim. The Confederate Leinster army under General Preston, besieging the town, lifted their siege and withdrew across the River Boyne, apparently intending to march on Dublin. Preston's force had a strength of 7,000 foot, 1,000 horse and four pieces of artillery. They made slow progress and had advanced no more than ten miles south of Trim when they met Jones’ men, who had been joined on the march by government troops from Drogheda and Dundalk, bringing his army up to around 5,000 foot, 1,500 horse and two field guns.
                  On August 8th Preston took up a strong defensive position on Dungan's Hill near the modern village of Summerhill, Co. Meath. He deployed his cavalry along a narrow lane to the right of the main body of infantry, apparently intending to charge the Parliamentarians as they formed up at the bottom of the hill where the lane opened out into fields. A reserve of seven troops of horse was posted behind the infantry, which stood in a large cornfield protected by ridges and embankments. On the left of the regular infantry was a force of 800 Gaelic Scots, known as "Redshanks", with skirmishers posted in front of the infantry lines. Further to the left, the Confederate flank was protected by a bog.

                  When Jones approached the Confederate position at about 10 am he ordered his cavalry to attack immediately, without waiting for the infantry to deploy. The Parliamentarians reached the opening of the lane first, trapping the Confederate cavalry on Preston's right flank. After suffering a number of casualties, the Confederate cavalry broke through the hedgerow to escape to the comparative safety of the cornfield, but as they did so, they disrupted the formations of infantry in the field. In the ensuing panic, the cavalry was unable to regroup and the reserve fled in confusion.

                  With the routing of his cavalry, Preston was forced onto the defensive. As the Parliamentarian infantry advanced, the Redshanks charged downhill. They were beaten off but regrouped and made two more desperate charges. With no discernible movement among the main body of Confederate infantry, Jones concentrated his attack on the Redshanks, who broke through the ranks of the advancing Parliamentarians and made their escape into the bog on the Confederate left flank. After holding off several Parliamentarian assaults, the Confederate infantry began to break formation and attempted to follow the Highlanders by escaping into the bog. With no cavalry and the infantry in full flight, Jones’ horse was able to ride down the fleeing men. Parliamentarian losses were light, at least 3,000 Confederates were killed in the battle and ensuing pursuit. The battle spelled the end of the Leinster army.
                  The Confederate Supreme Council ordered Owen Roe O’Neill to deploy his men from Connacht to recover Leinster. However, O'Neill's troops mutinied due to lack of pay. By the time order was restored Jones and Monck in Ulster consolidated Parliament’s hold on Leinster by capturing and garrisoning strategic strongpoints around Dublin and in northern Leinster. In November, O'Neill advanced with 8,000 men to within ten miles of Dublin, but heavy rains had turned the roads to mud, making it impossible for him to bring artillery to recover the lost positions. He was forced to withdraw when his supplies ran out.
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                  • #10
                    The Siege of Limerick 1690

                    Limerick was besieged twice during the Williamite Wars, in August 1690 and again in August 1691. In the history of the city these were actually the third and fourth sieges, the first two had been during the Confederate wars in 1642 and during Cromwell’s campaign in 1651.

                    The Siege of 1690 followed on from the Battle of the Boyne which led to James II fleeing Ireland and the Jacobite Army under overall command of the Duke of Tyrconnell withdrawing to the west of Ireland beyond the Shannon. By the end of July about 15,000 troops had gathered at Limerick which was a major port and crossing point of the Shannon. The defences of the city were poor. In the southern part of the city or Irishtown the walls were all but falling down. A ditch protected by earthworks and a palisade was constructed before the walls and ran from John's Gate round to East Watergate. Some outlying forts were built at strategic points around the walls and the buildings outside of the Irishtown walls were completely leveled to deny any cover to the enemy. John's Gate was particularly well defended, having a strong point known as the Citadel immediately to the north of the gatehouse, and two forts guarding the approaches to the gate. The walls of the English town were stronger and in addition that part of the city was built on an island.

                    Limerick was garrisoned mostly by Irish infantry with a small force of cavalry. The commander of the garrison was a French Major-General named Boisseleau. The garrison was severely short of arms, with nearly half of the infantry without muskets. The bulk of the Irish cavalry was posted on the Clare side of the Shannon under the Duke of Berwick and Colonel Patrick Sarsfield.
                    The Williamite army arrived before Limerick on 8th August 1690. It was about 25,000 strong, William having sent men back to England and also having had to leave garrisons at many of the towns captured since the Boyne. Initially, they occupied the high ground at Singland, astride the present Dublin and Ballysimon roads, about half a mile from the east wall of the Irishtown. They forced the outlying defenders in the area to withdraw to the main defences of the city. It wasn’t all bad news though as the Irish artillery on the walls were now able to bombard the Williamite forces, forcing them to draw back their encampment to safer ground.
                    Having established his camp, William, following the protocol of the day, sent a trumpeter to summon the garrison to surrender. The answer was a curt refusal from Boisseleau. William then disposed his forces for a siege. With only 25,000 men available to him, his army was not large enough to invest the city on all sides so he concentrated his attack on the Irish town. Artillery positions were sited opposite the south-eastern part of the city , while the infantry began digging saps, trenches dug towards the walls to enable soldiers to approach them under cover. While his infantry was busy at these preparations, Williams anxiously awaited the arrival of his heavy artillery from Dublin.
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                    • #11
                      The Siege of Limerick 1690 continued

                      On 10th August a deserter from the Williamite army brought news of the imminent arrival of the siege train. Sarsfield, on a visit from the cavalry camp in Clare, decided to intercept the guns and destroy them. With William's army between Limerick and the approaching siege train, Sarsfield had to make a large detour in order to successfully execute his plan. With 500 men, and guided by a local rapparree named Hogan, Sarsfield marched up the Clare side of the Shannon, and under cover of darkness crossed the river above Killaloe. The raiding party camped that night near Keeper Hill, and the following morning continued on towards Ballyneety, about two miles south-west of Oola, on the Tipperary/Limerick border. Legend has it that on the way they met a woman camp-follower who gave the password to Sarsfield and that it was his own name. The Williamites were taken completely by surprise when the attack went in that night and the artillery men and their escort were quickly overwhelmed. In the heat of the attack, a number of non-combatants, including some women and children, were also killed. Two of the eight guns of the siege train were completely destroyed, while the other six had their carriages wrecked. A large quantity of ammunition was also lost along with other supplies, including the makings of a pontoon bridge. The attack on the Williamite siege train was a great morale-booster for the garrison of Limerick. It made Patrick Sarsfield a legend in Irish history. Unfortunately it merely delayed William's preparations for an assault on the city by another five days while the guns were salvaged at Ballyneety and brought to Limerick

                      The siege began in earnest on 17th August. William's plan was to push the Irish back from their outer defences, while at the same time silencing their guns in preparation for mass assault on a breach which his artillery would make in the walls. The Williamites launched a series of attacks over the next few days on the forts protecting the south-eastern approaches to the Irish town walls. By 20th August they had forced the defenders from three forts and moved the siege artillery closer to the walls in the area of what is now the treet>New Roadtreet>. After an intense bombardment the wall began to disintegrate, and by the afternoon of 27th August it had been breached to a width of about thirty yards.

                      At 2.30 p.m. the discharge of three artillery pieces gave the signal to attack. The object of the initial assault was the counterscarp, the earthwork glacis protecting the trench before the walls. Once the Irish had been driven from this forward position the way would be clear for a mass attack on the breach itself. Leading the assault were William’s grenadiers - about 500 men. At the signal, they rushed the counter scarp, pushing the Irish defenders out of the. The grenadiers lost the run of themselves and, instead of consolidating, they followed the retreating Irish through the breach and into the city. Inside the walls a defensive line had been built covering the breach. Here the Williamites were met with a withering fire from cannon and muskets. Those that survived were forced back through the breach.

                      Meanwhile the main attacking force, consisting of five regiments of infantry, had come up to the attack. They poured through the breach and a furious hand-to-hand fight ensued, during which the ammunition store of the Black Battery, an Irish artillery position on the corner of the wall close to the breach exploded, inflicting severe casualties on the Brandenburg regiment. After more than three hours of hard fighting the Williamites were finally flung back from the walls. During the fighting legend has it that the women of Limerick joined in repelling the invaders hurling stones and bottles at the retreating Williamites. Plus ca change.

                      The battle in the breach, was a costly day for William. An estimated 1,500 Williamites were killed, the defenders lost about 300 killed. The losses were not cathastrophic but William was running short of ammunition. In addition autumn was fast approaching and he feared losing his heavy artillery to an Irish assault and being unable to withdraw it during the winter months. Three days after the battle of the breach, the Williamites struck camp and began a slow withdrawal towards Tipperary. It was William’s last action of the campaign. Early in September he took ship from Waterford and returned to England, leaving command of the army to the Dutch general, Ginkel.

                      Not Many People Know This; Patrick Sarsfield was created Earl of Lucan by James II, a title that died with his son in 1718. In 1795 Sarsfield's great nephew was made Earl of Lucan. His grandson commanded the cavalry division very badly in the Crimea and and his great great graet great grandson was the Lord Lucan who murdered the family nanny before disappearing in 1974.
                      Last edited by Groundhog; 28 August 2008, 22:36.
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                      Originally posted by hedgehog
                      My favourite moment was when the
                      Originally posted by hedgehog
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                      • #12
                        Anyone got any details on when the Cork lads defeated Wexford in the 1798 rebellion?

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                        • #13
                          Sarsfields ride is still a well marked pathway from Athlunkard st, out to the wilderness of Co Clare. I'm told it is best enjoyed on a bicycle...


                          Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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                          • #14
                            Originally posted by Goldie fish View Post
                            Sarsfields ride is still a well marked pathway from Athlunkard st, out to the wilderness of Co Clare. I'm told it is best enjoyed on a bicycle...
                            Comes all the way out to Ballyneety too. I think it's near Cullen that there's sign marking the place where he allegedly met the woman who gave him the password.

                            The Rapparee who guided Sarsfield was Michael Hogan by the way. He was enshrined in a ballad ;

                            Ballad of the Galloping Hogan
                            Old Limerick is in danger,
                            And Ireland is not free;
                            So Sarsfield sends a message
                            To a fearless Rapparee--
                            "Come ride across the Shannon
                            At the sounding of the drum--
                            And we'll blow the enemy seige train
                            To the land of Kingdom Come."

                            CHORUS
                            Galloping Hogan, Galloping Hogan
                            Galloping all along,
                            In his saddle is a sabre,
                            On his lips there is a song;
                            He's off across the Shannon
                            To destroy the enemy cannon;
                            And he goes galloping, he goes galloping,
                            Galloping, galloping on . . .

                            The Rapparee is bearded,
                            There's a twinkle in his eye;
                            As he rides into the city,
                            The Limerick ladies cry:
                            "Mr. Outlaw, Mr. Outlaw,
                            Will you tarry here with me?"
                            "Och! I'm off to Ballyneety,
                            To blow up a battery!"

                            So tonight along the Shannon,
                            By the pale light of the moon,
                            There flows an eerie brightness,
                            As of an Indian noon'
                            Then clippody-clop resounding
                            Through the lattice of the shade,
                            The ghost of Galloping Hogan
                            Goes a-riding down the glade.
                            The word rapparee came to mean an outlaw and was derived from the Irish Rápaire, a short pike.

                            There's also a reel called The Walls of Limerick.
                            Last edited by Groundhog; 28 August 2008, 21:41.
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                            Originally posted by hedgehog
                            My favourite moment was when the
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                            • #15
                              Oh the walls of limerick... traumatised by being dragged into it at too many family weddings(mothers people are Limerick folk)


                              Catch-22 says they have a right to do anything we can't stop them from doing.

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