![Wenceslaus Hollar – supposed Irish atrocities during the Rebellion of 1641](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/63/Wenceslaus_Hollar_%E2%80%93_supposed_Irish_atrocities_during_the_Rebellion_of_1641.jpg)
The Laggan Army, sometimes referred to as Lagan Army, was a militia formed by
Protestant settlers in the fertile Laggan Valley of
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
,
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
, during the time of the
Irish Rebellion of 1641
The Irish Rebellion of 1641 ( ga, Éirí Amach 1641) was an uprising by Irish Catholics in the Kingdom of Ireland, who wanted an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the plantatio ...
.
Background
Following the defeat of
Gaelic Ireland
Gaelic Ireland ( ga, Éire Ghaelach) was the Gaelic political and social order, and associated culture, that existed in Ireland from the late prehistoric era until the early 17th century. It comprised the whole island before Anglo-Normans co ...
after the
Nine Years War
The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
and the
Flight of the Earls in 1607, the
colonization of Ulster began in 1609. English and Scottish settlers, supported by
the Crown
The Crown is the state in all its aspects within the jurisprudence of the Commonwealth realms and their subdivisions (such as the Crown Dependencies, overseas territories, provinces, or states). Legally ill-defined, the term has different ...
, started to
colonize
Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...
the north-east province of
Ulster
Ulster (; ga, Ulaidh or ''Cúige Uladh'' ; sco, label= Ulster Scots, Ulstèr or ''Ulster'') is one of the four traditional Irish provinces. It is made up of nine counties: six of these constitute Northern Ireland (a part of the United King ...
. The settlers largely settled on land which was confiscated from
Gaelic chiefs in Ulster, many of whom had
fled from Ireland following the Irish defeat in the
Nine Years' War
The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...
.
In 1641, the Irish rose up in a
rebellion
Rebellion, uprising, or insurrection is a refusal of obedience or order. It refers to the open resistance against the orders of an established authority.
A rebellion originates from a sentiment of indignation and disapproval of a situation and ...
led by
Felim O'Neill
Sir Phelim Roe O'Neill of Kinard (Irish: ''Sir Féilim Rua Ó Néill na Ceann Ard''; 1604–1653) was an Irish politician and soldier who started the Irish rebellion in Ulster on 23 October 1641. He joined the Irish Catholic Confederati ...
. This coup's purposes included putting an end to anti-Catholic discrimination, greater Irish self-governance, and to partially or fully reverse the
plantations of Ireland
Plantations in 16th- and 17th-century Ireland involved the confiscation of Irish-owned land by the English Crown and the colonisation of this land with settlers from Great Britain. The Crown saw the plantations as a means of controlling, angl ...
. Although it was intended to be bloodless, the rebellion was characterized by rebel atrocities against Protestant settlers. While O'Neill himself was opposed to these attacks he was unable to control the Irish rebels under his command.
At the outset of the rebellion, thousands of Protestant settlers were evicted from their lands. Their homes were burned and their possessions taken. Most attacks involved robberies and assaults, however if the settlers resisted they were often murdered by the Irish rebels. Thousands of the Protestant refugees sought safety and protection in Royalist strongholds or attempted to leave Ireland and return to England and Scotland.
Protestant militias along with English and Scottish soldiers replied with brutal reprisals. Often after rebels surrendered, they were given no quarter. Reports of the violence against the Protestants were widely exaggerated in press reports in Britain. Initially, Parliamentarian propaganda pamphlets claimed over 200,000 Protestants were killed, which was widely believed despite the fact that the estimates being stated were almost twice the number of Protestants living in Ireland at the time. On 3 April 1642, a Scottish
Covenanter
Covenanters ( gd, Cùmhnantaich) were members of a 17th-century Scottish religious and political movement, who supported a Presbyterian Church of Scotland, and the primacy of its leaders in religious affairs. The name is derived from ''Covenan ...
expeditionary army landed in Ulster to protect the Planter population. Prior to that Protestants had to defend themselves by means of militias such as the Laggan Army. Afterwards the Laggan Army continued to operate in Ulster, and often participated in joint campaigns with the Scottish expeditionary force.
Eventually, violence against civilians by both sides began to calm, mainly due to the arrival of
Eoghan Ruadh O'Néill, an experienced Irish general who had served under the Spanish in
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
in the
Eighty Years' War
The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Refo ...
. He landed in Ireland in 1642 along with several other Gaelic Irish and
Old English
Old English (, ), or Anglo-Saxon, is the earliest recorded form of the English language, spoken in England and southern and eastern Scotland in the early Middle Ages. It was brought to Great Britain by Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain, Anglo ...
officers, an example of the latter being
Thomas Preston. Due to their experience they were given positions of command within the Confederate military. O'Neill began disciplining the troops of the Irish Ulster Army and hanged soldiers who attacked civilians. In turn, reprisals by Protestants also declined.
Creation of the Laggan Army
Wealthy Protestant landowners in northwest Ulster such as Sir William Stewart and his brother
Sir Robert Stewart chose to defend their properties by organizing militias. The Stewarts were Scottish settlers who had served
King Charles I of England in the military. During the colonization of Ulster, King Charles awarded English and Scottish loyalists such as the Stewarts with large tracts of
escheated land under the condition that improvements be made and tenant settlers be brought over from England or Scotland.
The Stewarts were held in such high regard by the Crown that immediately after the outbreak of the rebellion, King Charles authorized both of the Stewarts to establish a regiment of 1,000 foot and a troop of horse for the king's service. The military force that the Stewarts created came to be known as the Laggan Army. Originally the unit was formed to protect the Laggan Valley in eastern Donegal along with the northwest portions of counties Tyrone and Derry. As the war progressed, the Laggan Army became the most dominant Royalist militia in Ulster, defending and relieving Protestant strongholds; escorting refugees to safe havens; conducting reprisal attacks on the Irish rebels; and supporting other Royalist militias in numerous conflicts.
William Stewart served as the nominal leader of the Laggan Army in the beginning as he had greater seniority and landed interests than his brother. Fairly quickly, however, Robert Stewart was selected for overall command based upon his extensive experience in the Thirty Years' War on the European continent. Robert Stewart was resourceful and proved to be adept at recruiting men and training military units. His troops were better equipped than the rebels they faced especially with respect to muskets. And perhaps most important of all, Stewart was both experienced and knowledgeable with regard to battlefield tactics.
Warfare
On 16 June 1642, the Laggan Army confronted and defeated a large Confederate Irish force commanded by Phelim O'Neill at the
battle of Glenmaquin
The Battle of Glenmaquin also known as Battle Burn was a relatively brief engagement that occurred on 16 June 1642 during the Eleven Years' War. It was fought between the Royalist Laggan Army commanded by Sir Robert Stewart and Irish Conf ...
, near
Raphoe
Raphoe ( ; ) is a historical village in County Donegal, Ireland. It is the main town in the fertile district of East Donegal known as the Laggan, as well as giving its name to the Barony of Raphoe, which was later divided into the baronies of R ...
. The Confederates were invading
County Donegal
County Donegal ( ; ga, Contae Dhún na nGall) is a county of Ireland in the province of Ulster and in the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the town of Donegal in the south of the county. It has also been known as County Tyrconne ...
intent upon bringing northwestern Ulster and the Royalist stronghold and port city of
Derry
Derry, officially Londonderry (), is the second-largest city in Northern Ireland and the fifth-largest city on the island of Ireland. The name ''Derry'' is an anglicisation of the Old Irish name (modern Irish: ) meaning 'oak grove'. The ...
under their control, however the Laggan Army routed them and then went on to capture a number of towns in Ulster ending the Confederate threat in the region for the time.
The Laggan Army continued to serve in King Charles' service during the time of the
First English Civil War
The First English Civil War took place in England and Wales from 1642 to 1646, and forms part of the 1639 to 1653 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. They include the Bishops' Wars, the Irish Confederate Wars, the Second English Civil War, the Anglo ...
and the
Eleven Years' War
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 ...
. On 13 June 1643, Robert Stewart and the Laggan defeated General Owen O'Neill and the Confederates at the
Battle of Clones
The Battle of Clones occurred on 13 June 1643 during the Irish Confederate Wars, when Irish Confederate forces commanded by Eoghan Ruadh Ó Néill (Owen Roe O'Neill) were decisively defeated near Clones in County Monaghan by the Protesta ...
and on 8 July 1645 the Laggan Army assisted
Sir Charles Coote and the Parliamentarians capture Sligo.
In 1646, the Laggan Army was one of three forces including Scottish Covenanter regiments and English settler armies commanded by
Robert Monro
Robert Monro (died 1680), was a famous Scottish General, from the Clan Munro of Ross-shire, Scotland. He held command in the Swedish army under Gustavus Adolphus during Thirty Years' War. He also fought for the Scottish Covenanters during the Bi ...
that was to be included in an attack on Owen Roe O'Neill and the Confederates in Ulster. The Laggan Army was in Clogher on its way to meet up with Monro's force on 4 June when Monro's Scottish Covenanter and settler militia force was confronted and decisively defeated by Irish general Owen Roe O'Neill at the
Battle of Benburb
The Battle of Benburb took place on 5 June 1646 during the Irish Confederate Wars, the Irish theatre of the Wars of the Three Kingdoms. It was fought between the Irish Confederation under Owen Roe O'Neill, and a Scottish Covenanter and Anglo-I ...
. After the battle, the Laggan Army retreated back to Derry and Enniskillen to prepare for a potential attack when the Confederates travelled west to Clones.
After the failed siege of Derry in 1649, the Laggan Army started to break apart. Factions transferred their allegiance to the side of the Parliamentarians and eventually fought against their compatriots at the battles of
Lisnagarvey
Lisnagarvey or Lisnagarvy () is a townland in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. Lisnagarvey is also an Anglicisation of the original name of Lisburn.
The townland was named after an earthen ringfort (''lios''), which was in the area of present-day ...
,
Scarrifholis, and
Charlemont. By the end of 1649, the Laggan Army had ceased to be effective as a fighting force due to internal ethnic divisions and as a result the force disbanded.
Citations
References
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General references
*{{cite web , title=The Laggan and its People , url=http://donegalgenealogy.com/laggan.pdf , website=donegalgenealogy.com , publisher=Donegal Democrat Ltd. , accessdate=25 May 2020 , location=Ballyshannon , ref=none
1640s in Ireland
1640s conflicts
Catholic rebellions
Civil wars involving the states and peoples of Europe
Civil wars of the Early Modern period
Conflicts in 1641
European wars of religion
History of Ireland
Irish Rebellion of 1641
Irish Confederate Wars
Religion-based civil wars
Wars of the Three Kingdoms