battle of Liscarroll

Sir Phelim O'Neill launched the Rebellion in northern Ireland in October 1641,{{Sfn|Perceval-Maxwell|1994|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=OxfmaKA5L_0C&pg=PA214 214]|ps=. "Sir Phelim O'Neill struck in Ulster on the evening of Friday, 22 October [1641], 'the last day of the moon'. He took Dungannon first, and two hours later he was in the possession of the strong castle of Charlemont ..."}} exploiting the King's weakness at the eve of the English Civil War. The rebellion spread south reaching Munster early in 1642. In January the Munster insurgents, led by the local Catholic noble Maurice Roche, 8th Viscount Fermoy, attacked the local English Protestant noble Richard Boyle, 1st Earl of Cork, at Youghal.{{Sfn|Townshend|1904|pp=[https://archive.org/details/journal04socigoog/page/n112/ 100–102]}} In March and April the Munster insurgents, led by Fermoy and Donough MacCarty, 2nd Viscount Muskerry, besieged Cork City,{{Sfn|McGrath|1997|p=266, line 6|ps=. "In April 1642 he [St Leger] was besieged in Cork by Theobald Purcell, Richard Butler, and Lords Roche, Ikerrin, Dunboyne and Muskerry."}}{{Sfn|Bagwell|1909|p=[https://archive.org/details/irelandunderstua02bagw/page/3/ 3]|ps=. "... besieged in Cork 'by a vast body of enemy lying within four miles of the town, under my Lord of Muskerry, O'Sullivan Roe, MacCarthy Reagh, and all the western gentry ...' "}} but Murrough O'Brien, 6th Baron of Inchiquin, an Irish Protestant,{{Sfn|Cregan|1995|p=502|ps=. "... while others of the great Anglo-Irish and Old Irish peers, as Kildare, Ormond, Thomond, Barrymore, Inchiquin and Howth, were now to be found in the Protestant ranks."}} counterattacked and drove the insurgents away.{{Sfn|Ohlmeyer|2004|p=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_0198613857/page/107/ 107, right column, line 13]|ps=. "... early in April 1642 captured Rochfordstown ..."}}{{Sfn|Wiggins|2001|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=hmziLJnM0kwC&pg=PR17 xvii]|ps=. "April 1642 / 13th / The siege of Cork is lifted when Lord Inchiquin routes the besiegers."}} The Munster insurgents then gave the command of their army to Garret Barry, an Irish veteran from the Spanish Army of Flanders. In May and June Barry besieged and took Limerick.{{Sfn|M'Enery|1904|p=163, penultimate line|ps=. "The principal men among the besiegers were General Gerald Barry, Patrick Pursell of Croagh, County Limerick, lord Roche, lord Muskerry ..."}}{{Sfn|Adams|1904|p=[https://archive.org/details/castlesofireland00adamiala/page/255/ 255]|ps=. "... capitulated on the 21st of June [1642]. Lord Muskerry took possession the next day."}} The insurgents also attacked castles given to English settlers during the Plantation of Munster.{{Sfn|Westropp|1907|p=155|ps=. "The English settlers were given possession of the castles, and Connello was divided into seignories, mainly held by Berkeley, Courtenay, Oughtred, Trenchard, Cullom, Billingsley and Agar."}} In summer 1642 the Munster insurgents attacked the castles of Sir Philip Perceval, an English knight. Muskerry took Annagh Castle, County Tipperary, and in August besieged Liscarroll Castle, northern County Cork. The castle surrendered on 2 September.{{Efn|The dates given for the sieges of Annagh and Liscarroll castles are confusing, but it is sure the sieges happened in the summer of 1642 and that Liscarrol fell on 2 September.{{Sfn|Buckley|1898|p=88|ps=. "On Tuesday, the 30th August, they sat down before Liscarroll Castle ..."}}{{Sfn|Moriarty|1895|p=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofnati44stepuoft/page/372/ 373, right column]|ps=. "In the summer of 1642 a detachment of the confederate army under Lord Muskerry advanced into Percival's districts. All his castles were taken though Annagh and Liscarrol offered a stubborn resistance, the former [sic] holding out for eleven days against an attacking force of 7,500 men (20 Aug.–2 Sept. 1642)."}}{{Sfn|Little|2004b|p=[https://archive.org/details/isbn_0198613938/page/662/ 662, left column]|ps=. "Perceval's lands were overrun, with his castles at Liscarroll and Annagh holding out until September 1642."}}}} The next day Inchiquin with his army appeared before the castle,{{Sfn|Coffey|1914|p=[https://archive.org/details/oneillormondchap00coffuoft/page/107/ 107, line 14]|ps=. "Inchiquin hurried to the relief of Liscarroll, arriving in sight of the castle on September 3rd."}} too late to save the castle but ready for battle.

The Insurgents' army consisted of militia raised by the local Catholic lords. The insurgents' cavalry was led by Oliver Stephenson, who descended from Elizabethan English settlers but sided with the insurgents as he was Catholic.

The government force consisted of three English regiments and various local Protestant troops. The three English regiments had been sent to Ireland in February or early March 1642 to reinforce the army of Sir William St Leger, president of Munster. The first such regiment was commanded by Charles Vavasour, 1st Baronet, of Killingthorpe who landed with his regiment in Youghal in February{{Sfn|Gibson|1861|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofcountyc02gibsiala/page/65/ 65]|ps=: "Sir Charles Vavasor arrived in Youghal with a thousand men, in Februar, 1642"}} Vavasour commanded the foot whereas Inchiquin was commander-in-chief and commanded the horse.{{Sfn|Smith|1893|p=[https://archive.org/details/ancientandprese00socigoog/page/n160/ 154]|ps=: "... the horse led by my Lord Inchequeen, and the foot by Sir Charles Vavasour, who went in the head of them ..."}}{{Sfn|Gibson|1861|p=[https://archive.org/details/historyofcountyc02gibsiala/page/68/ 68]|ps=: "Sir Charles Vavasour, Colonel Myn, Captain Jephson ... were in his [Inchiquin's] army ..."}} Together they pursued the Irish when they finally fled.{{Sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n53/ 35, line 34]|ps=: "Sir Charles Vavasour and Inchiquin pursued them to a neighbouring bog ..."}}

The three eldest sons of the 1st Earl of Cork fought in the cavalry at the battle. They were: Richard Boyle, Viscount Dungarvan; Lewis, Viscount Boyle of Kinalmeaky; and Roger Boyle, Baron Broghill. Kinalmeaky was killed and succeeded by his elder brother as 2nd Viscount Kinalmeakey according to the special remainder of his title.

Stephenson's horsemen charged Inchiquin's force, putting them into disorder and even capturing Inchiquin himself. However, in the melee, Stephenson was shot dead by Inchiquin's brother (through the eye-piece of his helmet) and the Irish cavalry lost heart and fell back. The Irish infantry lacked the training and discipline to stand up to a cavalry charge and fled, leading to a rout of the Irish forces. The vast difference in the number of muskets was a major factor in the defeat of the Irish, some 1500 against 500. Most Irishmen wore pikes.

The next day Inchiquin with his army appeared before the castle.{{Sfn|Coffey|1914|p=[https://archive.org/details/oneillormondchap00coffuoft/page/107/ 107, line 14]|ps=. "Inchiquin hurried to the relief of Liscarroll, arriving in sight of the castle on September 3rd."}} Despite inferior numbers{{Sfn|Bagwell|1895|p=[https://archive.org/details/dictionaryofnati41stepuoft/page/321/ 321, left column, line 14]|ps=. "On 20 August Inchiquin, accompanied by Barrymore, Kinalmeaky, and Broghill ... with only two thousand foot and four hundred horse ..."}} the royalists defeated the insurgents under General Garret Barry in the ensuing Battle of Liscarroll.{{Sfn|Meehan|1882|p=[https://archive.org/details/confederationki01meehgoog/page/n53/ 35, line 25]|ps=. "... the confederates under Lords Roche, Muskerry, Ikerrin, Dunboyne, Castleconnell, Brittas, and General Barry ..."}}{{Sfn|Ohlmeyer|2012|p=[https://books.google.com/books?id=zHZYbeg-zeoC&pg=PA266 266]|ps=. "... at the battle of Liscarroll (3 September 1642) when troops led by Lords Brittas, Castle Connell, Dunboyne, Ikerrin, Muskerry, and Roche took on a Protestant force ..."}} Muskerry allegedly panicked, fled, and caused others to flee.{{Sfn|Buckley|1898|p=98|ps=. "My Lord Musgrave told them the day was lost, and bid as many as could save their lives, to make hast away;"}} His Protestant acquaintance Barrymore died in September, supposedly of wounds received in the battle.{{Sfn|Armstrong|2009|loc=2nd paragraph, penultimate sentence|ps=. "He died 29 September 1642 apparently from wounds received in battle at Liscarrol ..."}}

About 600 Irish Confederates were killed, among them a high proportion of officers like Stephenson. The local Catholic gentry were decimated by the battle, for instance the Fitzgerald family of the House of Desmond had 18 of their members killed. They were buried in a mass grave just outside Liscarroll. In addition, Inchiquin executed 50 more Confederate officers whom he had taken prisoner, hanging them the next morning. The battle meant that south central County Cork with the towns of Cork City, Bandon, Kinsale and Youghal would form an English and Protestant stronghold for the rest of the war.

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

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{{DEFAULTSORT:Liscarroll, Battle of}}

Category:1642 in Ireland

Liscarroll

Liscarroll

Liscarroll

Liscarroll

Liscarroll