The Sack of Athenry was a 1572 battle in Ireland. For much of its history the town of Athenry ( ) was safe behind its walls, erected in the aftermath of the Second Battle of Athenry in 1316 during the height of the Bruce Wars. However, the beginning of the end occurred during the

Mac an Iarla Wars Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Mac, ...

in 1572, when, according to the Annals of the Four Masters: :"''They destroyed the walls of the town of Athenry, and also its stone houses and its castle; and they so damaged the town that it was not easy to repair it for a long time after them.''" This was the first of a number of attacks committed by the

Mac an Iarlas Mac or MAC most commonly refers to: * Mac (computer), a family of personal computers made by Apple Inc. * Mackintosh, a raincoat made of rubberized cloth * A variant of the word macaroni, mostly used in the name of the dish mac and cheese * Mac, ...

, and later, by

Red Hugh O'Donnell Hugh Roe O'Donnell (Irish: ''Aodh Ruadh Ó Domhnaill''), also known as Red Hugh O'Donnell (30 October 1572 – 10 September 1602), was a sixteenth-century leader of the Gaelic nobility of Ireland. He became Chief of the Name of Clan O'Donn ...

. By the end of the 16th century Athenry, once the premier town in Connacht, was reduced to a shell, and did not begin to truly recover till the late 1990s.

References

{{Ireland-hist-stub Conflicts in 1572 History of County Galway Battles involving Ireland 1572 in Ireland Sack of Looting Razed cities

See also

References