It provided a route southward for the Ulster Celtic tribes, including the O Donnells, to move southward to plunder Connacht. Conversely, it was the northward route for the English in attempts to "conquer" west Ulster.
| The Battle of the Curlews which took place on the afternoon of August 15th, 1599, was but one of many battles which took place in the Curlews. The pass was of strategic importance. It was situated at the narrowest part of a strip of poor, boggy and forested land which in early days was a serious barrier to travel, and lay across the route from the midlands to north Connacht and Sligo.
It provided a route southward for the Ulster Celtic tribes, including the O Donnells, to move southward to plunder Connacht. Conversely, it was the northward route for the English in attempts to "conquer" west Ulster. |
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Many battles took place here:-
In 1189 the Anglo-Normans under John de Courcy were defeated by Conor Maenmoy O Conor, MacDermots and other Connacht chieftains. The armoured knights found the pass an unsuitable place for battle!
In 1497 Tadhg MacDermot, King of Moylurg, reinforced by O Conors, O Hanlys, O Beirnes, O Monahans and others, soundly defeated a large force led by Niall Garbh O Donnell with O Rourkes, O Conors Sligo and others. 800 of O Donnell’s army were killed, and the Cathach of Columkille was captured.
1689- Not long after the Battle of Boyle, won by the Williamites, the Jacobites under Sarsfield moved to retake Sligo Town. The forces which had garrisoned Boyle retreated north, but were caught in the Curlews and defeated. Their leader, Capt. Weir, a close friend of Lord Kingston, was killed.
The Battle of the Curlews 1599
The Battle of the Curlews 1599 took place during the Nine Years War, which lasted from 1593 and 1602. Most of the action during the War took place in Ulster, the forces on the Irish side being led by Hugh O Neill. Red Hugh O Donnell’s operations were mainly confined to Connacht. By 1599 things were going exceedingly well for the Irish, who had effective control of north Connacht and Ulster.
Reinforcements for the hard-pressed English arrived in May 1599, when a large army landed in Dublin under the command of Devereux, Earl of Essex, a great favourite of Queen Elizabeth. Essex’ orders were to destroy O Neill and O Donnell. Instead his first move was southwestwards to Limerick. A short campaign there achieved nothing. O Conor Sligo, who had been with Essex, returned from Limerick only to be besieged in Collooney Castle by O Donnell.
This disastrous state of affairs finally forced the English into a definite course of action. Clifford set off from Athlone on 14th August with an army of 1496 Foot and 205 Horse. Poor military intelligence stated that the Curlews were undefended, so instead of halting at Roscommon Castle he carried on to Tulsk, a total day’s march of 30 miles. The next day he carried on a further 15 miles to the Boyle River (there was no town then). His hungry and tired men resumed their march at 4.30 p.m., following a short rest.
| The leading elements of the Vanguard under Capt. Lister reached the mouth of the Pass unopposed, but 300 yards further on a volley of shots rang out from behind a barricade (11).
The forces first met in the pass were probably the 300 men under Conor MacDermot, great-grandson of the author’s g11-grandfather Tadhg. There is no evidence that O Donnell’s forces took part in the battle. They were encamped at Doonaveragh, some distance away to the north on the southern slopes of the Bricklieve Mountains. O Donnell had placed them there to intercept the English forces in case they broke through the combined MacDermot and O Rourke forces. |
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| The English advanced through an opening which was made in the barricade, only to come under fire again a few hundred yards on from thin woods on either side. The woods were cleared, the advance continued until they were in the middle of the bog (13, now pasture and forestry). This was terrain unsuited to the English method of fighting with pike and shot. The Shot used arquebuses, with a firing rate of perhaps 40 per hour. Behind the shot the Pikemen were drawn up. The formations manouvered ponderously in the soft ground to counter the quick guerilla style of fighting used by the Irish.
After about an hour’s fighting the Shots’ ammunition ran out. At this point, with the Vanguard vulnerable, their commander was killed. 500 of O Rourke’s men arrived from Sheegorey to the east. Panic rapidly set in, and the Vanguard started to retreat in a confused mass, only to run into the Main Body of soldiers, who took to their heels, preceded by the Rear Guard. |
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The officers tried unsuccessfully to halt the retreat, even attacking and killing their own men but to no avail. Clifford, enraged by his men’s cowardice, fought bravely and was killed by a pike-stroke through the body. Down near the Fair Green (5) the waiting Horse, commanded by Sir Griffin Markham, galloped up the hill, but were unable to get directly to the fight as the road was blocked by retreating soldiers. Advancing to the left by the “Red Earl’s Road” - "among rocks and bogs, where never horse were seen to charge before" (Harrington, Nugae Antiquae - they galloped down the slope (near 12) to where the Foot were fighting for their life in the bog (13). The Horse were severely handicapped in the soft ground, but managed to cover the retreat and ensure the saving of the Colours.
So ended the Battle of the Curlews. It had lasted about 2 hours. 232 of the English forces were killed, and 144 wounded. Back in Boyle Abbey the remaining senior officers decided not to try to force the Curlew pass again. They retreated to Athlone Castle the next morning.
After the battle Brian O Rourke came upon Clifford’s body, and ordered that it be decapitated. The head was sent to Collooney, as evidence of the Irish victory. O Conor Sligo promptly surrendered. Clifford was given a respectful burial by MacDermot on Trinity Island in Lough Key:
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To the Constable of Boyle, greeting. Know that I have surrendered the body of the Governor to the Monastery of the Holy Trinity, on account of his command and for other causes. If you wish to restore me my captives in return for the aforesaid body, I am ready to confer with you in person. In any case, he will be honourably interred in the aforesaid monastery. So fare thee well. Written at Gaywash, August 15th, 1599. In the meantime I have wrapped a good shroud round the aforesaid body, and if you wish to bury all the other nobles, I will not interfere with your doing so. |
Conestabulario de Boyle salutem. Scias quod ego traduxi corpus gubernatoris ad monasteriu Sanctae Trinitatis propter eius dilectionem, at alia de cause. Si velitis mihi redire meos captivos ex praedicto corpore quod paratus sum ad conferendum vobis ipsum; alias sepultis erit honeste in predicto monasterio et sic vale, scriptu apud Gaywash, 15 August 1599; interim pone bonu linteamentum ad praedictum corpus, et si velitis sepelire omnes alios nobiles non impediam vos erga eos. Mac Dermon |
On his return to London Essex was also beheaded, in this case “legitimately”, for his incompetent leadership.
