The Geraldine League was a short-lived
Irish
Irish may refer to:
Common meanings
* Someone or something of, from, or related to:
** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe
***Éire, Irish language name for the isle
** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
alliance established in 1539 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 ...
and
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 ...
.
History
The league was founded with the goal of restoring
Gerald FitzGerald to the
earldom of Kildare
Duke of Leinster (; ) is a title in the Peerage of Ireland and the premier dukedom in that peerage. The subsidiary titles of the Duke of Leinster are: Marquess of Kildare (1761), Earl of Kildare (1316), Earl of Offaly (1761), Viscount Leinster, ...
. The movement ultimately grew to encompass the goal of expelling the English from Ireland, and in the fall of 1539 the League invaded and looted
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 ...
. After sacking 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 ...
, the League withdrew from Pale and were caught by surprise by the forces of
Lord Deputy
The Lord Deputy was the representative of the monarch and head of the Irish 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. The plural form is ''L ...
Leonard Gray
Leonard Earl Gray (December 19, 1951 – June 13, 2006) was an American professional basketball player.
Early life
Gray was born at the University of Kansas Medical Center in Kansas City, Kansas and raised in Kansas City, Kansas. Because of ...
, who ultimately routed them at the
Battle of Belahoe
The Battle of Belahoe or Ballyhoe ( ga, Béal Átha hÓ) was fought in 1539 between the O'Neills 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 Ire ...
. The League gradually dissolved over the course of the next few years with the arrival of a new Lord Deputy,
Anthony St. Leger, who was able to restore order to English-controlled Ireland.
References
{{Reflist
1539 in Ireland