The Tudors in Ireland – Part 2

The Nine Year’s War and the Collapse of Gaelic Ireland

The O’Neills of TyroneThe most powerful Gaelic family in the late 16th century were the O’Neills of Ulster. Under the terms of “Surrender and Regrant”, the chief of the O’Neills, Conn Bacach O’Neill had surrendered his lands to Henry VIII, and had received the title “Earl of Tyrone”. Conn had two sons, Matthew and Shane. Matthew, who had the title Baron Dungannon, was supposed to become the new Earl, but when Conn died, Shane murdered his brother and declared himself head of the O’Neills, with support from the rest of his clan. The English government was not pleased with this, but there was very little they could do about it. The new English ruler was Elizabeth I, second daughter of Henry VIII. She was determined to bring Ireland under English rule.

Shane and ElizabethElizabeth invited Shane to London to see what sort of a person he was. She even learned a few words of Irish for the occasion, although as Shane spoke fluent Latin, communication was not a problem. Shane said “My ancestors were kings of Ulster and Ulster is mine and shall be mine!” It is easy to see why he was called “Séan an Díomais” (Shane the Proud). He fought against the powerful McDonnells of Antrim, an old gallowglass family, and captured their chief, Sorley Boy. However, his rise to power caused alarm among the other Ulster families, and he was ambushed and defeated by the O’Donnells of Tír Chonaill at the battle of Farsetmore. Surprisingly, he went to the McDonnells for help, and they had him murdered. His nephew Hugh became the second Earl of Tyrone.

Hugh O’ Neill

Hugh O’Neill, earl of Tyrone

Hugh was the son of Matthew, who had been murdered by Shane. Hugh had been brought up in the English royal court, and the English government thought that he would be an obedient servant to them, so they were delighted when he became Earl of Tyrone and chief of the O’Neills. However, Hugh O’Neill had built up a system of alliances with other Irish chiefs – notably with the young Lord of Tír Chonaill, Hugh O’Donnell. He had made a bitter enemy of an English lord, Sir Henry Bagenal, because he had eloped with Bagenal’s sister Mabel and then deserted her. O’Neill saw how the English government was extending its control over Ireland, and determined to fight.

Red Hugh O’Donnell

Red Hugh O’Donnell

Sir John Perrott

Red Hugh was the prince of Tír Chonaill (Donegal), and next in line to become chief. When he was 15, Sir John Perrott, the Lord Deputy, had him kidnapped and imprisoned n Dublin Castle. On a bitter winter night, he escaped with two nephews of Hugh O’Neill’s. The weather was very cold, and Red Hugh lost some of his toes to frostbite. He escaped to O’Neill’s lands in Tyrone, and along with Maguire of Fermanagh, he agreed to help O’Neill fight against he English. They looked for help from Europe’s greatest Catholic king, Philip II of Spain. They said that they were fighting for Catholic freedom against the Protestant queen, Elizabeth I. Philip promised support, and so did the Pope.

The Nine Years’ War

Robert Devereaux, Earl of Essex

The war began in 1594. Elizabeth sent 18,000 troops to Ireland. Maguire defeated an English army bringing supplies at the Ford of the Biscuits. O’Neill and O’Donnell won many victories, at Clontibret, Tyrellspass and especially at the Yellow Ford in 1598, where an army of 4000 English soldiers, commanded by O’Neill’s old enemy, Bagenal, were massacred. Elizabeth sent her favourite general, Robert Devereaux, earl of Essex, to fight O’Neill, but O’Neill outsmarted him and the two made peace. Elizabeth was furious, she had Essex imprisoned in the Tower, and later she had him executed. Word came to O’Neill that Philip III the new Spanish king was sending troops to help him. The troops should have landed in the North, but instead they landed in Kinsale in Cork.

The battle of Kinsale

An old illustration of the Battle of Kinsale

O’ Neill and O’Donnell marched south through Ireland. The Spanish army had landed at Kinsale, where it was surrounded by the English army under Sir Charles Blount, Lord Mountjoy, the new English Lord Deputy. O’Neill and O’Donnell surrounded the English army, but they were weary from their long march and as they rested, their positions were betrayed to the English. Mountjoy led a surprise attack and routed the Irish. The Spanish surrendered and were allowed to go home. O’Neill and O’Donnell went back North, losing men to sickness and hunger at every step. Mountjoy now took the initiative and began a “scorched earth policy”, burning the farms and homes of O’Neill’s supporters. O’ Neill now knew his rebellion was finished.

The treaty of Mellifont and the Flight of the Earls

The Flight of the Earls

Lord Mountjoy

Red Hugh O’Donnell went to Spain to seek further help, but was poisoned there by an English agent. Elizabeth and died, and no-one knew whether her successor, James I, would be a Protestant or a Catholic. Mountjoy was anxious to end the war quickly, and offered O’Neill good terms. They signed the Treaty of Mellifont, under which O’Neill agreed to end his rebellion if he was left in peace in his lands. Even though Mountjoy was sincere about this, his successor, Sir Arthur Chicester, began to harass O’Neill and reduce his power. In 1607, O’Neill, Rory O’Donnell, and Maguire of Fermanagh left Ireland for Rome. This was known as the “Flight of the Earls” and signalled the end of serious Irish threats to Tudor rule.