''Cath Áth an Chip'', meaning the Battle of Ath an Chip, alias the "Battle of Connacht", was a battle fought in 1270 between armies of the Kingdoms of

Connacht Connacht ( ; ga, Connachta or ), is one of the provinces of Ireland, in the west of Ireland. Until the ninth century it consisted of several independent major Gaelic kingdoms (Uí Fiachrach, Uí Briúin, Uí Maine, Conmhaícne, and Delbhn ...

and

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

County Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

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 ...

. The result was a decisive Irish victory. "Athanchip", then a ford marked by a tree-stump", is today the place called "Battle Bridge". The battle site is probably Drumhierney townland and Leitrim village.

Background

Sixty years after the

Norman invasion of Ireland The Anglo-Norman invasion of Ireland took place during the late 12th century, when Anglo-Normans gradually conquered and acquired large swathes of land from the Irish, over which the kings of England then claimed sovereignty, all allegedly sanc ...

Fedlimid Ó Conchobair became

King of Connacht The Kings of Connacht were rulers of the ''cóiced'' (variously translated as portion, fifth, province) of Connacht, which lies west of the River Shannon, Ireland. However, the name only became applied to it in the early medieval era, being name ...

with the assistance of the De Burgh Norman family. At first Fedlimid attempted to arrest the expansion of Norman settlements in Connacht as they set about occupying the kingdom but eventually capitulated to King Henry III and was left a rump kingdom in

Roscommon Roscommon (; ) is the county town and the largest town in County Roscommon in Ireland. It is roughly in the centre of Ireland, near the meeting of the N60, N61 and N63 roads. The name Roscommon is derived from Coman mac Faelchon who built ...

known as ''The King's Candreds''. His son Aedh did not favour the diplomatic approach or appeasement. Even during his father's reign, Aedh attacked the Normans at every opportunity. In 1249 he ambushed Piers de Bermingham, who at the time held the wardship of the de Burgh lands. This

ambush An ambush is a long-established military tactics, military tactic in which a combatant uses an advantage of concealment or the element of surprise to attack unsuspecting enemy combatants from concealed positions, such as among dense underbru ...

led to all-out war and resulted in Fedlimid being deposed. He regained his throne in 1250 but was much weaker as a result.

Battle

Aedh became king after his father's death in 1265. He continued to

raid Raid, RAID or Raids may refer to: Attack * Raid (military), a sudden attack behind the enemy's lines without the intention of holding ground * Corporate raid, a type of hostile takeover in business * Panty raid, a prankish raid by male college ...

settled lands in his kingdom. In 1269 Robert d'Ufford, the new justiciar in Ireland, began building a royal castle in

. D'Ufford sent his deputy across the

River Shannon The River Shannon ( ga, Abhainn na Sionainne, ', '), at in length, is the longest river in the British Isles. It drains the Shannon River Basin, which has an area of , – approximately one fifth of the area of the island of Ireland. The Shan ...

to join his ally,

Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster, 2nd Lord of Connaught (; ; 1230 – 28 July 1271) also spelt Burke or Bourke, was an Irish peer from the House of Burgh. Biography De Burgh was the second son of Richard Mór de Burgh, 1st Lord of Conna ...

. The combined forces met with Aedh to negotiate but to no avail. The forces under de Burgh retreated and attempted to ford the Shannon at Áth-an-Chip. Aedh routed the army and destroyed the castle at Roscommon. Leaving Leitrim Village

The battle occurred at Maigh Nissi (Moynissy, "plain of Nissi"), in the barony of Leitrim, County Leitrim. Connellan states "". Moynissy was the Gaelic place name for the flat, unforested part, of the barony of Leitrim, bordering the Shannon. The

Irish Annals A number of Irish annals, of which the earliest was the Chronicle of Ireland, were compiled up to and shortly after the end of the 17th century. Annals were originally a means by which monks determined the yearly chronology of feast days. Over t ...

describe the

Anglo-Normans The Anglo-Normans ( nrf, Anglo-Normaunds, ang, Engel-Norðmandisca) were the medieval ruling class in England, composed mainly of a combination of ethnic Normans, French, Anglo-Saxons, Flemings and Bretons, following the Norman conquest. A sm ...

crossing ''Ath-Cara-Conaill'' ("Carrick-on-Shannon") before marching onward to Ath-an-cip. Places corrupted as "Ath an Chip" and all variants were a ford marked by a large tree stump. Ath an Chip was clearly a ford on the River Shannon. MacNamee states "". At Leitrim village the

R284 road The R284 road is a regional road in Ireland linking Sligo to Leitrim village in County Leitrim. En route it passes through Ballygawley, Ballyfarnan, Geevagh and Keadue. The road is long. Official description The official description o ...

crosses the Shannon at "Battle-bridge" ( ga, Béal Átha an Chatha, "the ford/mouth of the battle"). The townland at this bridge is Drumhierney ( ga, Droim Thiarnaigh, meaning the ridge of the "master", "lord", or "the domination"). Without certainty the battle-site was Drumhierney townland in

county Leitrim County Leitrim ( ; gle, Contae Liatroma) is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the ...

Aftermath

The death in

Galway Galway ( ; ga, Gaillimh, ) is a City status in Ireland, city in the West Region, Ireland, West of Ireland, in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Connacht, which is the county town of County Galway. It lies on the River Corrib between Lo ...

of de Burgh in 1271 ended all effective resistance to Aedh's rule in Connacht. Aedh continued to raid as far east as Granard and even burnt

Athlone Athlone (; ) is a town on the border of County Roscommon and County Westmeath, Ireland. It is located on the River Shannon near the southern shore of Lough Ree. It is the second most populous town in the Midlands Region with a population of ...

, destroying the bridge there. The raiding came to an end with Aedh's sudden death on 3 May 1274. The Kingdom of Connacht became embroiled in a civil war with thirteen kings during the period between 1274 and 1315. This instability left Connacht vulnerable to Norman settlement.

Background

Battle

Aftermath

See also

References and notes

Notes

References

Sources

Further reading