The Battle of Belahoe or Ballyhoe ( ga, Béal Átha hÓ) was fought in 1539 between the

O'Neills O'Neills Irish International Sports Company Ltd. is an Irish sporting goods manufacturer established in 1918. It is the largest manufacturer of sportswear in Ireland, with production plants located in Dublin and Strabane. O'Neills has a long re ...

and O'Donnells against English forces, in which the O'Neills and O'Donnells were defeated. The battle occurred while the English Lord Deputy of Ireland, Leonard Grey, was mounting an armed tour around Ireland to secure the submission of the allies of the Fitzgeralds of Kildare, who had recently been in rebellion against the Crown. While Grey was in the south at Cork, a raid was undertaken into Meath by the Fitzgeralds' allies, O'Neills, led by

Conn O'Neill Conn Bacagh O'Neill, 1st Earl of Tyrone (Irish: ''Conn Bacach mac Cuinn Ó Néill'') (c. 1480–1559), was king of Tyrone. In 1541 O'Neill travelled to England to submit to Henry VIII as part of the surrender and regrant policy that coincided ...

, and the O'Donnells, led by

Manus O'Donnell Manus O'Donnell (Irish: ''Maghnas Ó Domhnaill'' or ''Manus Ó Domhnaill'', died 1564) was an Irish lord and son of Sir Hugh Dubh O'Donnell. He was an important member of the O'Donnell dynasty based in County Donegal in Ulster. Early life Hug ...

into the English Pale, around Dublin. They destroyed and looted the towns of

Ardee Ardee (; , ) is a town and townland in County Louth, Ireland. It is located at the intersection of the N2, N52, and N33 roads. The town shows evidence of development from the thirteenth century onward but as a result of the continued devel ...

and

Navan Navan ( ; , meaning "the Cave") is the county town of County Meath, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. In 2016, it had a population of 30,173, making it the List of urban areas in the Republic of Ireland by population, tenth largest settlement in ...

, before English forces 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 ...

could be mobilised. However, the

Lord Deputy of Ireland The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish executive (government), executive under English rule, during the Lordship of Ireland and then the Kingdom of Ireland. He deputised prior to 1523 for the Viceroy of Ireland ...

, Leonard Grey, returned with a force of about 800 men to oppose them.Thomas Surge Moore, History of Ireland, p359
/ref> The O'Neills and O'Donnells were returning to their territories with treasure and spoils when the English overtook them at the Ford of Belahoe, four and a half miles south of

Carrickmacross Carrickmacross () is a town in County Monaghan, Ireland. The town and environs had a population of 5,032 according to the 2016 census, making it the second-largest town in the county. Carrickmacross is a market town which developed around a ca ...

, on the boundary of the modern counties of Meath and

Monaghan Monaghan ( ; ) is the county town of County Monaghan, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. It also provides the name of its Civil parishes in Ireland, civil parish and Monaghan (barony), barony. The population of the town as of the 2016 census was 7 ...

. The forces of the O'Neills and O'Donnells were quickly overwhelmed and suffered 400 casualties before fleeing in disarray and leaving their treasure and spoils in the hands of the Lord Deputy of Ireland. His subordinate commander

Gerald Aylmer Gerald Edward Aylmer, (30 April 1926, Greete, Shropshire – 17 December 2000, Oxford) was an English historian of 17th century England. Gerald Aylmer was the only child of Edward Arthur Aylmer, from an Anglo-Irish naval family, and Phoebe ...

, later

Lord Chief Justice of Ireland The Court of King's Bench (or Court of Queen's Bench during the reign of a Queen) was one of the senior courts of common law in Ireland. It was a mirror of the Court of King's Bench in England. The Lord Chief Justice was the most senior judge i ...

, was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the Christian denomination, church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood ...

in the field for his part in the victory.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Belahoe, Battle of 1539 History of County Meath History of County Monaghan Conflicts in 1539 1539 in Ireland Battles involving England Battles involving the Uí Néill 16th-century military history of the Kingdom of England