The Battle of Dysert O'Dea took place on 10 May 1318 at
Dysert O'Dea near
Corofin, Ireland. It was part of the
Bruce campaign in Ireland. The
Norman Richard de Clare attacked the
Gaelic Irish
The Gaels ( ; ; ; ) are an Insular Celtic ethnolinguistic group native to Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. They are associated with the Gaelic languages: a branch of the Celtic languages comprising Irish, Manx, and Scottish Gaeli ...
chieftain Conchobhar ÓDeághaidh, chief of the Cineal Fearmaic and ally of
Muircheartach ÓBriain, but he was defeated.
Precursors to war
The
Bruce invasion of Ireland enabled the outbreak of a number of small wars that had little, if anything, pertaining to the Scots. Perhaps the most notable was the battle at Dysert O'Dea which erupted in
Brian Boru
Brian Boru (; modern ; 23 April 1014) was the High King of Ireland from 1002 to 1014. He ended the domination of the High King of Ireland, High Kingship of Ireland by the Uí Néill, and is likely responsible for ending Vikings, Viking invasio ...
's old Kingdom of
Thomond in 1318.
Two factions of the
O'Brien clan had been fighting for generations for supremacy in Thomond. Murtough O'Brien, the descendant of
Toirdelbach UaBriain was the rightful King of Thomond. A challenger appeared in the form of
Mahon O'Brien, allied with the opposing faction of the family, which paid its homage to Brian O'Brien. This side of the family was allied with the powerful Anglo-Norman Richard deClare, a relative of
Strongbow. DeClare ruled over much of western Ireland from his castle at
Bunratty, yet the English respected Thomond as a sovereign state and remained outside its borders. However, deClare's alliance with Mahon O'Brien provided an excuse to invade Thomond. His
Pale Englishmen would meet in a pitched battle against Murtough's Irish in the Battle of Dysert O'Dea.
[McCullough, David Willis. Wars of the Irish Kings. Three Rivers Press, New York. 2002. pp. 223–33. Retrieved 1 March 2008.]
During this time, Donnchadh, an ally of deClare, was overwhelmingly defeated in the
Battle of Lough Raska near Corcomruadh Abbey.
Order of battle
When news arrived of his allies' defeat at Corcomruadh, Richard deClare decided to attack the Gaelic stronghold at Dysert O'Dea. His troops arrived at
Ruan on the morning of 10 May 1318, and were divided into three columns. The first division was headed by de Clare's son and marched northwards to Tullach O'Dea in an effort to cut off any help which might arrive from O'Connor of
Ennistymon
Ennistymon or Ennistimon () is a country market town in County Clare, near the west coast of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The Inagh River, River Inagh, with its small rapids known as the Cascades, runs through the town, behind the main street. ...
. The second column travelled southwards towards Magowna to quell any support from that direction. The third division was commanded by deClare himself and marched westwards towards Dysert O'Dea, the home of Conor O'Dea. O'Dea intentionally made his forces look few in number, for some time fighting in retreat, and when deClare charged for an attack the Anglo-Normans were ambushed. Richard deClare was felled by an axe and his son was killed by a Feilim O'Connor. The O'Deas were reinforced by the O'Connors and later the O'Briens, who turned the tide of a potentially unpredictable battle along with further decisive assistance from the O'Hehir and MacNamaras; and the English were soon defeated. Following their victory, the Irish marched back to the deClare settlement, only to find that deClare's wife had set it aflame, including
Bunratty Castle, and had returned to England.
Over eighty Englishmen of noble birth and many foot soldiers were killed in the battle. The
Kingdom of Thomond remained beyond foreign control for over two hundred and fifty years, until 1570.
See also
*
O'Dea Castle
*
O'Dea Clan
*
Seán mac Ruaidhrí Mac Craith (fl. 14th-century), author of ''
Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh''.
References
External links
Battle of Dysert O'Dea at Clare County Library
– Caithréim Thoirdhealbhaigh, by Seán mac Ruaidhrí Mac Craith. Account of the Battle of Dysert O'Dea and battles leading up to it.
Resources
* ''O'Dea: Ua Deághaidh: The Story of a Rebel Clan'', by Risteárd Ua Cróinín (Richard Cronin), Ballinakella Press, Whitegate, Co. Clare, Ireland, 1992. .
* ''Irish Battles – A Military History of Ireland'', by G.A. Hayes-McCoy, Appletree Press, 1990,
*''Secret Sights (Years of the Sword)'' RTÉ television programme transmitted 2006. Richard Cronin recounts the local understanding that a Conor Howard helped to plan and execute the ambush of De Clare and his army at Macken Bridge, Corofin (ref. O'Hivar in the Triumphs of Turlough).
{{DEFAULTSORT:Dysert O'dea, Battle of
Military history of Ireland
Conflicts in 1318
Battles involving the Dál gCais
History of County Clare
1318 in Ireland
Battles involving Scotland
Battles involving England
Battles involving Ireland