![Bunratty Castle NE](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/01/Bunratty_Castle_NE.jpg)
The siege of Bunratty took place in
County Clare
County Clare ( ga, Contae an Chláir) is a county in Ireland, in the Southern Region and the province of Munster, bordered on the west by the Atlantic Ocean. Clare County Council is the local authority. The county had a population of 118,817 ...
in 1646 and was part of the
Irish Confederate Wars
The Irish Confederate Wars, also called the Eleven Years' War (from ga, Cogadh na hAon-déag mBliana), took place in Ireland between 1641 and 1653. It was the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms, a series of civil wars in the kin ...
, the Irish theatre of the
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
The Wars of the Three Kingdoms were a series of related conflicts fought between 1639 and 1653 in the kingdoms of Kingdom of England, England, Kingdom of Scotland, Scotland and Kingdom of Ireland, Ireland, then separate entities united in a pers ...
.
Background
At the time of the siege,
Bunratty Castle
Bunratty Castle (, meaning "castle at the mouth of the Ratty") is a large 15th-century tower house in County Clare, Ireland. It is located in the centre of Bunratty village ( ga, Bun Ráite), by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis, near Sha ...
was the home of Sir
Barnabas O'Brien (6th
Earl of Thomand). Barnabas O'Brien was the son of Donough. Raised by
Elizabeth I
Elizabeth I (7 September 153324 March 1603) was Queen of England and Ireland from 17 November 1558 until her death in 1603. Elizabeth was the last of the five House of Tudor monarchs and is sometimes referred to as the "Virgin Queen".
El ...
, he fought for the crown at the
Siege of Kinsale
The siege of Kinsale, or Battle of Kinsale ( ga, Léigear/Cath Chionn tSáile), was the ultimate battle in England's conquest of Gaelic Ireland, commencing in October 1601, near the end of the reign of Queen Elizabeth I, and at the climax of t ...
. O'Brien attended the
University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
and was married to an English noblewoman. He was one of the wealthiest men 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 ...
, holding 120,230 acres in 1641 and residing in Bunratty Castle, described by papal
nuncio
An apostolic nuncio ( la, nuntius apostolicus; also known as a papal nuncio or simply as a nuncio) is an ecclesiastical diplomat, serving as an envoy or a permanent diplomatic representative of the Holy See to a state or to an international or ...
Rinucinni as 'the loveliest of any place of any kind that I have yet seen (in Ireland), worthy of a king, with gardens the likes of which put Italy's to shame'.
O'Brien was a
Protestant
Protestantism is a Christian denomination, branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Reformation, Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century agai ...
and his estates were
planted with English and Dutch tenants and when news of the rising came in November 1641 he encouraged his tenants to remain loyal to the crown but live quietly on their lands. During the early 1640s, he steered a neutral path. On the one hand, being Protestant he refused to sign the Oath of Association drafted by the
Confederate
Confederacy or confederate may refer to:
States or communities
* Confederate state or confederation, a union of sovereign groups or communities
* Confederate States of America, a confederation of secessionist American states that existed between 1 ...
Catholic
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
s of Ireland and on the other, he was later criticised for lack of military leadership and for not arming his Protestant tenants. The Confederates tolerated O'Brien and allowed him to remain unmolested, mainly because many of his O'Brien cousins had joined the Catholic war effort. Relations may have been cordial between O'Brien and the Confederates as he was closely related to many of their leaders:
The Catholic general the
Earl of Glamorgan
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
was married to his niece Margaret O'Brien, the daughter of his older brother Henry 5th Earl of Thomand. His nephew by his only sister was
Donough McCarthy, Viscount Muskerry, the most powerful confederate Catholic in Munster who later led the siege of Bunratty. However, by the Spring of 1646, his Protestant cousin Murrough O'Brien (Inchiquin) who by now was
President of Munster
The post of Lord President of Munster was the most important office in the English government of the Irish province of Munster from its introduction in the Elizabethan era for a century, to 1672, a period including the Desmond Rebellions in Munst ...
on behalf of the
English Parliament
The Parliament of England was the legislature of the Kingdom of England from the 13th century until 1707 when it was replaced by the Parliament of Great Britain. Parliament evolved from the great council of bishops and peers that advised ...
, along with Barnabas' English wife persuaded him to hand
Bunratty
Bunratty (, meaning "end of the Raite") is a village in County Clare, Ireland, near Bunratty Castle. It is connected by the N18 road to Limerick and Galway. The Raite river defines the parish's eastern boundary and flows into the Shannon Estu ...
Castle over to an English Parliament garrison. Meanwhile, the Confederate Catholic council at
Kilkenny
Kilkenny (). is a city in County Kilkenny, Ireland. It is located in the South-East Region and in the province of Leinster. It is built on both banks of the River Nore. The 2016 census gave the total population of Kilkenny as 26,512.
Kilken ...
were assembling troops to be sent to England as part of a deal to assist
King Charles I or perhaps to be used against the Protestants of Munster. The Bunratty operation can be seen in this context as a diversionary tactic. According to a letter written by the Parliamentarian
Lord Broghill
Roger Boyle, 1st Earl of Orrery (25 April 1621 – 16 October 1679), styled Lord Broghill from 1628 to 1660, was an Anglo-Irish soldier and politician who sat in the House of Commons of England at various times between 1654 and 1679. Boyle fough ...
"the progress of our designes in the River of Lymerick hat not only diverted a supply of six thousand from going to the King, and ready to be shipped at
Waterford
"Waterford remains the untaken city"
, mapsize = 220px
, pushpin_map = Ireland#Europe
, pushpin_map_caption = Location within Ireland##Location within Europe
, pushpin_relief = 1
, coordinates ...
, but also ruined their projects upon us."
Proof of the expedition being a diversionary tactic can be found in the Memorials of
William Penn
William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...
:
"Having dined with his lordship we held consultation... to see whether he would join with us in the assaulting of the rebels in those parts, or at least the weakening and disabling them in their intentions upon the Lord of Inchiquin's quarters; or to obstruct the transportation of such forces... for the assistance of his majesty in this un-natural war against his subjects."
[.]
Parliamentarian Expedition
On 11 March 1646, the English Parliament expedition anchored near
Bunratty Castle
Bunratty Castle (, meaning "castle at the mouth of the Ratty") is a large 15th-century tower house in County Clare, Ireland. It is located in the centre of Bunratty village ( ga, Bun Ráite), by the N18 road between Limerick and Ennis, near Sha ...
.
William Penn
William Penn ( – ) was an English writer and religious thinker belonging to the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers), and founder of the Province of Pennsylvania, a North American colony of England. He was an early advocate of democracy a ...
commanded the ships and Colonel John MacAdam commanded the land forces. According to the Memorials of Sir William Penn this consisted of 7 frigates and a
hoy
Hoy ( sco, Hoy; from Norse , meaning "high island") is an island in Orkney, Scotland, measuring – the second largest in the archipelago, after Mainland. A natural causeway, ''the Ayre'', links the island to the smaller South Walls; the tw ...
(heavy barge) with sailors and also carried 700 soldiers
(although more troops arrived in various ships as the siege progressed), by April it was "800 foot and threescore horse" and by June 100 more had arrived. According to Penn's account, Barnabas O'Brien was eager to help and permitted Penn's men to occupy Bunratty. Penn's force started work to fortify Bunratty Castle, building platforms for guns, clearing thatched houses to allow fields of fire, and fortifying the landing area from the river in front of the castle. According to the
Earl of Castlehaven
Earl of Castlehaven was a title in the Peerage of Ireland, created on 6 September 1616. It was held in conjunction with the Barony of Audley (created 1312 in the Peerage of England), the Barony of Audley of Orier (created with the earldom in t ...
's memoirs - "Lord Inchiquin, towards the Spring, sent along by sea from Cork 500 foot and 150 horsemen with saddles and all sorts of arms for horse and foot; who entering the Shannon, seized Bonratty in the county of Clare, a castle belonging to the Earl of Thomond, where they found a brave stable of horses and mares, on which he mounted all his horsemen."
[.]
Situation of Bunratty Castle
Bunratty Castle is in the
Shannon estuary
The Shannon Estuary ( gle, Inbhear na Sionainne) is a large estuary where the River Shannon flows into the Atlantic Ocean. The estuary has Limerick City at its head and its seaward limits are marked by Loop Head to the north and Kerry Head to th ...
in the angle where the Shannon is joined by the river Ralty. In those days, the castle buildings consisted of the main
keep
A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...
and nearby to the north of that, a raised gun platform. To the west of the keep a fortified house known as the little castle, or Jeffords house, and also a small church. The north, south and west of the castle grounds were protected by an earth-work ridge and ditch and to the east it was protected by the river Ralty. On the west and south it was surrounded by a salt marsh which filled with the river Shannon on high tide. Beyond the earth-work, to the north, there was some flat ground advantageous to cavalry and a low hill beyond which was the road to
Sixmilebridge
Sixmilebridge (), is a large village in County Clare, Ireland. Located midway between Ennis and Limerick city, the village is a short distance away from the main N18 road.
Sixmilebridge partly serves as a dormitory village for workers in the ...
.
March 1646 Confederate Catholics react
Around this time, 6,000 men had been assembled by the Confederate Catholics and were waiting in
Cashel and
Clonmel
Clonmel () is the county town and largest settlement of County Tipperary, Republic of Ireland, Ireland. The town is noted in Irish history for its resistance to the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland, Cromwellian army which sacked the towns of Dro ...
before transport to
Britain
Britain most often refers to:
* The United Kingdom, a sovereign state in Europe comprising the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland and many smaller islands
* Great Britain, the largest island in the United King ...
as part of a deal with the
Royalists
A royalist supports a particular monarch as head of state for a particular kingdom, or of a particular dynastic claim. In the abstract, this position is royalism. It is distinct from monarchism, which advocates a monarchical system of governm ...
to serve the King but when this plan was seen as unfeasible, it was instead decided to send 300 as bodyguards to
Charles
Charles is a masculine given name predominantly found in English language, English and French language, French speaking countries. It is from the French form ''Charles'' of the Proto-Germanic, Proto-Germanic name (in runic alphabet) or ''*k ...
, then
Prince of Wales
Prince of Wales ( cy, Tywysog Cymru, ; la, Princeps Cambriae/Walliae) is a title traditionally given to the heir apparent to the English and later British throne. Prior to the conquest by Edward I in the 13th century, it was used by the rulers ...
, in
Jersey
Jersey ( , ; nrf, Jèrri, label=Jèrriais ), officially the Bailiwick of Jersey (french: Bailliage de Jersey, links=no; Jèrriais: ), is an island country and self-governing Crown Dependencies, Crown Dependency near the coast of north-west F ...
, and the rest were given over to the
Earl of Glamorgan
Earl () is a rank of the nobility in the United Kingdom. The title originates in the Old English word ''eorl'', meaning "a man of noble birth or rank". The word is cognate with the Scandinavian form ''jarl'', and meant "chieftain", particular ...
in order to take Bunratty, and if possible to attack
.
[.]
1 April 1646 Glamorgan defeated
On 1 April Glamorgan's forces appeared at Bunratty but were driven off and in a follow up operation were driven out of their base in Sixmilebridge. According to Penn:
"A party of 120 horse and 300 foot came to fire Bonratty... began at the end of the town, fired some houses and killed some English ... our horse issued under the command of Captain Vauclier, charged the enemy and by a fortunate shot wounding captain McGrath, they were totally routed and took flight. We followed the pursuit, slew 80 upon the place, took Captain McGrath alive with his brother who came to his rescue.
In the afternoon we marched with two drakes, 600 foot and 50 horse, to the rebels camp at Six Mile Bridge, consisting of 1400 horse and foot; we set upon them, beat them out of their works, and being hotly charged they betook to their heels. Our horse and foot pursued 2 miles: yet little execution was done, by reason of the woods and a river near hand. Having killed about 30 and took 5 prisoners... brought away 250 barrels of oatmeal which served the soldiers six weeks for bread"
Castlehaven describes these events also:
"The Earl of Glamorgan, to keep in this garrison, ordered some troops to Six mile bridge between Limerick and Bonratty, but were beaten by that garrison".
Curiously Penn describes how Captain McGrath and a lieutenant who died of their wounds were "honourable buried, with 3 vollies of small shot".
Glamorgan is replaced by Viscount Muskerry and the siege of Bunratty begins
According to Castlehaven's memoir:
"The Earl after this rendezvoused his whole army at Clonmell; to which rendezvous my Lord of Muskry came, and some differences falling out between these two noblemen, my lord Muskry took the command of the army to himself, and with it besieged Bonratty. To this siege the supreme council soon followed; the place held out five or six weeks."
On 11 May 1646, the Earl of Thomond, O'Brien, went to England. According to Penn's account, O'Brien was 'fearful to hazard his person' and took ship to England on 11 May intending to retire to his wife's Northamptonshire estate until the war was over.
On 13 May The Confederates closed in on the north side. According to Richard Belling's account from the point of the Confederates:
The Lord of Muskery, having by his presence appeased the manie discontents of the souldiers and officers of the Mounster list, and composed them to a bodie, being now furnished with some money…..advanced to camp in the park of Bunratty, having taken a castle at the entrance into the parke…. Lieutenant General Purcell, Major -General Stephenson and Colonel Purcell who commanded the horse, all of them bred in the wars of Germany were entrusted principally with the conduct of the action."
[.]
According to Penn:
“We conceived the rebels were assaulting Cappagh castle about 2 miles from us.....where was a ward of our's consisting of 2 files of musqueteers and some that formerly inhabited the castle and thereabouts. The rebels having brought down their great guns made 26 desperate shot...a breach being made and being stormed by the rebels, our men....... yielded upon quarter for their lives. Having entered the castle and taken our men prisoners they marched to a castle called Rossmonnahane, not a full mile from Bonratty. This castle they summoned, being kept by a file of our men…….the castle was delivered up, without so much as a shot made: we believe the soldiers were hanged, as justly they deserve.”
[.]
By 22 May the Irish had taken over the hill to the north of the castle and using
fascine
A fascine is a rough bundle of brushwood or other material used for strengthening an earthen structure, or making a path across uneven or wet terrain. Typical uses are protecting the banks of streams from erosion, covering marshy ground and so ...
s as cover they advanced to within carbine shot of the defences. The English sallied out on 24 May to try and drive the Irish out of this position which initially they succeeded in taking, but a charge by the Irish horse drove them back again.
On 28 May Confederates attempted an ambush. According to Penn some Irish horse appeared and attempted to draw out the garrison "having made an ambush of musketeers behind hedges". The English musketeers came out and outflanked the ambushers and drove them from the hedges but "5 or 6 companies of foot and 2 troops of horse came down the hill and drove our musketeers back in their turn". Next, the English horse came out and drove the Irish back again. Meanwhile, the cannon were firing and the English managed to dismount an Irish demi-culverin which they then attempted to capture but they were also driven back.
By 29 May, the English were running short of supplies and decided to embark all wounded and non-combatants on ships to be taken to
Cork
Cork or CORK may refer to:
Materials
* Cork (material), an impermeable buoyant plant product
** Cork (plug), a cylindrical or conical object used to seal a container
***Wine cork
Places Ireland
* Cork (city)
** Metropolitan Cork, also known as G ...
and Kinsale which is done over the next few days.
At the start of June, the Irish tried to press forward with their siege works on the north but the level ground allowed English cavalry too much advantage and they made no ground. Muskerry was under pressure due to lack of money and feared he may have to disperse his army.
On 23 June, an English
sally
Sally may refer to:
People
*Sally (name), a list of notable people with the name
Military
*Sortie (siege warfare), Sally (military), an attack by the defenders of a town or fortress under siege against a besieging force; see sally port
*Sally, ...
repulsed according to Penn:
"I had notice of a sally made by our men upon the enemy; but being much engaged, and not able to make retreat, after some execution done upon the rogues, had near on thirty of our men killed and wounded..."
Relief operations by Parliamentarians fail
According to Meehan's account:
"Sir
Charles Coote falling with a strong body of the Laggan forces in to the counties of Roscommon and Galway, as was supposed with a design to penetrate into Thomond, and relieve Bonratty...
But fearing that the attempt might fail, the parliamentarian general contented himself with burning the crops about Portumna and Loughrea, and then returned to his quarters with large preys of corn and cattle."
[.]
According to Castlehaven's memoir:
"I must now tell you that the Lord Inchiquin, on the certainty of Bonratty's being besieged, and the whole army of Mounster engaged, marched into the county of Limerick... and by diversion to oblige my Lord Muskry to draw off, by burning, plundering and destroying the country, even to the gates of Limerick... Whereupon Castlehaven joined with Garret Mac Thomas Fitzgerald and 1000 horse and Drew against my Lord Inchiquin and kept as near as him as I durst... This lasted four or five days till at length my Lord Inchiquin finding the check hindered him from destroying the country, retired to his garrisons, and I went to the siege."
The Final Stages
At the start of July papal Nuncio Rinucinni arrived with £600.
"Fearing that the siege of Bunratty would be abandoned by the troops owing to their want of pay, I have come to the camp and brought all the money I had left and some of my own also to lend to them, and I will not leave the place until I see a certainty of success or else that victory is despaired of."
[.]
On 1 July while the Irish guns were firing on the little castle Colonel MacAdam was killed. This news was carried out by a Welsh deserter, giving the Irish a morale boost. According to Penn the Irish jeer at the English-
"who called to our men, and bid them 'get a better commander'"
[.]
On 6 July the Irish stormed the little castle but were driven out again in a counterattack.
By 12 July the English fleet was forced to leave the vicinity of the castle because the Irish guns were now firing from the shore and doing major damage. According to the Penn's account:
"11th.- Captain Dechicke and Lieut. Gibbon...came on board... to give notice of the present condition of the garrison; that they had not above 300 serviceable men among them, the rest being killed or miamed, and so not be able to make any longer resistance, but must be constrained to make their conditions... these most perfidious rogues made divers shot at our shipping, shot one of them through and through... they plied us so hard with two guns at a time that we were forced to let slip; in this condition riding within musquet shot of the shore and expecting to be galled by the enemy's guns... being conceived impossible for us to continue or riding here that with what speed might be, the ships should weigh, and fall down so low that they might not lie within the command of the rebel's guns... nor could we well do so, the fort, without the shipping, not being able to subsist."
[.]
13–14 July Parliamentarians surrender
According to Penn the remaining English troops were evacuated from the castle with agreement from
Lord Muskerry."The conditions are so mean, and so far beneath the honour of a soldier, that I should never have consented thereunto"
[.]
According to
Richard Bellings
Sir Richard Bellings (1613–1677) was a lawyer and political figure in 17th century Ireland and in the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He is best known for his participation in Confederate Ireland, a short-lived independent Irish state, in which he ...
' account:
"they were content to capitulate for their lives only and the officers their swordes, leaving cannon, horses, arms ammunition, and provisions to the Confederates".
[.]
According to Ormond Bunratty was taken 13 July.
According to Rinuccini the captured English banners were displayed at
Limerick
Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...
along with the banners captured from the Scots at
Benburb
Benburb ()) is a village and townland in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland. It lies 7.5 miles from Armagh and 8 miles from Dungannon. The River Blackwater runs alongside the village as does the Ulster Canal.
History
It is best known, in his ...
.
[.]
References
Citations
Sources
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Bunratty, siege of
Irish Confederate Wars
Wars of the Three Kingdoms
History of County Clare
1646 in Ireland