The Battle of Glenmalure ( ga, Cath Ghleann Molúra) took place in

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

on 25 August 1580 during the

Desmond Rebellions The Desmond Rebellions occurred in 1569–1573 and 1579–1583 in the Irish province of Munster. They were rebellions by the Earl of Desmond, the head of the Fitzmaurice/FitzGerald Dynasty in Munster, and his followers, the Geraldines and ...

. A Catholic army of united

Irish clan Irish clans are traditional kinship groups sharing a common surname and heritage and existing in a lineage-based society, originating prior to the 17th century. A clan (or ''fine'' in Irish) included the chief and his patrilineal relatives; howe ...

s from the

Wicklow Mountains The Wicklow Mountains (, archaic: ''Cualu'') form the largest continuous upland area in the Republic of Ireland. They occupy the whole centre of County Wicklow and stretch outside its borders into the counties of Dublin, Wexford and Carlow. Wh ...

led by

Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne Fiach Mac Aodha Ó Broin (anglicised as Feagh or Fiach MacHugh O'Byrne) (1534 – 8 May, 1597) was Chief of the Name of Clann Uí Bhroin (Clan O'Byrne) and Lord of Ranelagh during the Elizabethan wars against the Irish clans. Arms Backg ...

and

James Eustace, 3rd Viscount Baltinglass James FitzEustace of Harristown, 3rd Viscount Baltinglass (1530–1585) James FitzEustace, the eldest son of Rowland Eustace, 2nd Viscount Baltinglass and Joan, daughter of James Butler, 8th Baron Dunboyne. He was born in 1530 and died in Spain in ...

the Pale The Pale (Irish: ''An Pháil'') or the English Pale (' or ') was the part of Ireland directly under the control of the English government in the Late Middle Ages. It had been reduced by the late 15th century to an area along the east coast st ...

, defeated an

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

army under

Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton The Rt Hon. Arthur Grey, 14th Baron Grey de Wilton, KG (1536–1593), was a baron in the Peerage of England. Lord Grey de Wilton is now largely remembered for his memoir of his father, for participating in the last defence of Calais (1558), a ...

, at Clan O'Byrne's mountain stronghold of

Glenmalure Glenmalure () is a 20-kilometre long U-shaped glacial valley in the Wicklow Mountains in Ireland. Glenmalure is an important base for climbing in the Wicklow mountains, and particularly accessing the massif of Lugnaquilla, and contains one of t ...

Background

Grey had landed in Ireland with reinforcements from England to put down the rebellion. His strategy was to meet O'Byrne's threat to the English heartland of

Dublin Dublin (; , or ) is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. On a bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, a part of th ...

and the Pale by attacking through the highlands to the south of the city. Against the advice of veteran commanders, he chose to lead his army (around 3,000 strong) through lowland

Kildare Kildare () is a town in County Kildare, Ireland. , its population was 8,634 making it the 7th largest town in County Kildare. The town lies on the R445, some west of Dublin – near enough for it to have become, despite being a regional cen ...

and into the

, with the aim of taking the fastness at Balinacor in the Glenmalure Valley.

Battle

While climbing the steep slopes of the valley, the inexperienced English soldiers were ambushed by the Irish who hid in the woods. The English were sniped at for a long period of time before their discipline collapsed and they turned and fled down the valley. It was at this point that most of their casualties occurred, as the Irish left their cover and fell upon the English with swords, spears, and axes. Hundreds of English soldiers were cut down by the pursuing Irish as they tried to escape the field. The remaining English had to fight a rearguard action for several miles until they reached the town of Rathdrum.

Aftermath

Irish sources state that around 800 English soldiers were killed, though the English put their losses at 360 dead.Brooks, Battlefields of Britain & Ireland, pg 332 Among those killed was

Peter Carew Sir Peter Carew (1514? – 27 November 1575) of Mohuns Ottery, Luppitt, Devon, was an English adventurer, who served during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I of England and took part in the Tudor conquest of Ireland. His biography was written by h ...

, cousin of his namesake colonist who had made claims to, and won, large tracts of land in southern Ireland. The remainder of the English force retreated to lowland Wicklow and from there to Dublin. However, the following year, when offered terms, most of the Irish soldiers, including O'Byrne, came in and surrendered. The exception was Baltinglass, who fled for

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

In popular culture

The battle is commemorated in the folk song " Follow me up to Carlow".

References

Bibliography

* *Richard Bagwell, ''Ireland under the Tudors'' 3 vols. (London, 1885–1890). *John O'Donovan (editor), ''Annals of Ireland by the Four Masters'' (1851). *''Calendar of State Papers: Carew MSS.'' i., ii., (6 vols., 1867–1873). *Nicholas Canny ''The Elizabethan Conquest of Ireland'' (1976); ''Kingdom and Colony'' (2002). *Cyril Falls ''Elizabeth's Irish Wars'' (1955). *Richard Berleth "The Twilight Lords" (1994)

External links

Eustace family website: Eustace Battles
{{DEFAULTSORT:Battle Of Glenmalure 1580 in Ireland Conflicts in 1580 Glenmalure 1580 Glenmalure 1580

16th-century military history of the Kingdom of England England–Ireland relations Second Desmond Rebellion