Battle of Moyry Pass
Encyclopedia
The Battle of Moyry Pass was fought during September and October 1600 in counties Armagh
and Louth
, in the north of Ireland
, during the Nine Years' War
. It was the first significant engagement of forces following the cessation of arms agreed in the previous year between the Irish leader Hugh O'Neill and the English Crown commander, the Earl of Essex
.
The battle was fought by the armies of O'Neill and the new English commander, Lord Mountjoy, a former follower of the late Earl of Essex. Mountjoy had determined to penetrate O'Neill's heartlands in central and western Ulster
. To do this, he needed to penetrate Moyry pass. In the course of a two-week assault on O'Neill's defences at the pass, Mountjoy's troops eventually got through the pass and established a garrison near Armagh
, but took heavy casualties in the process. Mountjoy's main English force then retired with difficulty back to friendly territory in Dundalk.
by establishing a ring of fortified garrisons on the borders of O'Neill and his allies. To this end, he had landed seaborne forces at Derry
in the north of the province and at Carrickfergus
in the east of Ulster. In September 1600, Mountjoy moved north from Dublin and concentrated at Dundalk
, in order to mount an expedition further into Ulster and re-establish a garrison at Armagh, which position had been evacuated by the English Crown forces after O'Neill's victory at the Battle of the Yellow Ford
in 1598
.
On 17 September 1600, Mountjoy set out from Dundalk, intending to march to Newry
and then on to Armagh
. The Moyry Pass (or "Gap of the North") was his feasible only point of entry into Ulster (much of the terrain being wooded and mountainous), and it had been well fortified by O'Neill with trenches and barricades. The Irish had constructed three lines of trenches, backed up with barricades of earth and stone. On the flanks, the Irish had made further earth and stone works and 'plashed' (twisted) the branches of low-growing trees in order to provide cover for themselves and prevent the English occupying the heights on either side of the Pass. In these positions, they awaited the English assault.
Hill. Taking advantage of a misty day on the 25th, an officer named Thomas Williams (who had commanded the Blackwater Fort during the Battle of the Yellow Ford
) made a sortie into the pass. After heavy fighting, he identified the Irish defence works and returned to the English camp with 12 dead and 30 wounded. For the next six days, heavy rain held up the fighting, until the weather cleared on 2 October. The weather was important because the matchlock
muskets of the day would not work in wet conditions. On 2 October, Sir Samuel Bagnall led his regiment of infantry into the Pass at the head of four other regiments. The English breached the first barricade and Thomas Bourke's regiment then led the way to the second and third lines of defence. The English took the second line only to find they were in a trap being fired on from three sides. They tried to dislodge the Irish from their remaining positions for three more hours before finally retreating, barely getting out with the Irish in close pursuit. The English admitted 46 killed and 120 wounded, but it is thought that they understated their losses throughout the campaign.
On 5 October, Mountjoy tried to bypass the heavily defended Pass by sending two regiments on a flanking march over the hill to the west of the Pass, with one further regiment supported by horsemen advancing up the centre of the Pass. No English regiment made significant gains and, with stiff Irish resistance, the force was forced to turn back. The English reported 50 dead and 200 wounded.
By 9 October, an English officer named Geoffrey Fenton
complained, "we are now but where we were in the beginning". Mountjoy, giving up on trying to storm the Pass retired to Dundalk
on either the 8th or 9th of October. However, on the 14th, word reached the English camp that O'Neill had abandoned the Pass and retreated to a crannog
stronghold at Lough Lurcan. At the time, Mountjoy could not understand why O'Neill would voluntarily leave such a strong defensive position. The most likely explanation for O'Neill's withdrawal is that he was both short of ammunition and food and feared a flanking attack on his rear from Newry. Moreover, most of his forces were composed of temporary, clan-based levies, who could not be kept together for long.
Mountjoy accordingly occupied Moyry Pass on the 17th of October and dismantled the Irish earthworks there. He then marched on to Carrickban, just outside Newry
. After a stay at Carrickban, Mountjoy marched to Mountnorris
(halfway between Newry and Armagh) by Sunday 2 November. There he built an earthwork fort and left a garrison of nominally 400 men in it, under the command of Captain Edward Blaney
. Returning to Newry from Mountnorris, the English marched back to Dundalk via Carlingford
. On 13 November, during this return march they were again opposed by O'Neill, close to the Fathom Pass, and suffered 15–20 killed and 60–80 wounded.
County Armagh
-History:Ancient Armagh was the territory of the Ulaid before the fourth century AD. It was ruled by the Red Branch, whose capital was Emain Macha near Armagh. The site, and subsequently the city, were named after the goddess Macha...
and Louth
County Louth
County Louth is a county of Ireland. It is part of the Border Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Louth. Louth County Council is the local authority for the county...
, in the north of Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, during the Nine Years' War
Nine Years' War (Ireland)
The Nine Years' War or Tyrone's Rebellion took place in Ireland from 1594 to 1603. It was fought between the forces of Gaelic Irish chieftains Hugh O'Neill of Tír Eoghain, Hugh Roe O'Donnell of Tír Chonaill and their allies, against English rule in Ireland. The war was fought in all parts of the...
. It was the first significant engagement of forces following the cessation of arms agreed in the previous year between the Irish leader Hugh O'Neill and the English Crown commander, the Earl of Essex
Essex in Ireland
Essex in Ireland refers to the military campaign pursued in Ireland in 1599 by Robert Devereux, 2nd Earl of Essex, during the Nine Years War and the Anglo-Spanish War....
.
The battle was fought by the armies of O'Neill and the new English commander, Lord Mountjoy, a former follower of the late Earl of Essex. Mountjoy had determined to penetrate O'Neill's heartlands in central and western Ulster
Ulster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
. To do this, he needed to penetrate Moyry pass. In the course of a two-week assault on O'Neill's defences at the pass, Mountjoy's troops eventually got through the pass and established a garrison near Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
, but took heavy casualties in the process. Mountjoy's main English force then retired with difficulty back to friendly territory in Dundalk.
Campaign
Mountjoy's strategy for putting down O'Neill's rebellion was to gradually constrict his territory in UlsterUlster
Ulster is one of the four provinces of Ireland, located in the north of the island. In ancient Ireland, it was one of the fifths ruled by a "king of over-kings" . Following the Norman invasion of Ireland, the ancient kingdoms were shired into a number of counties for administrative and judicial...
by establishing a ring of fortified garrisons on the borders of O'Neill and his allies. To this end, he had landed seaborne forces at Derry
Derry
Derry or Londonderry is the second-biggest city in Northern Ireland and the fourth-biggest city on the island of Ireland. The name Derry is an anglicisation of the Irish name Doire or Doire Cholmcille meaning "oak-wood of Colmcille"...
in the north of the province and at Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus
Carrickfergus , known locally and colloquially as "Carrick", is a large town in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is located on the north shore of Belfast Lough, from Belfast. The town had a population of 27,201 at the 2001 Census and takes its name from Fergus Mór mac Eirc, the 6th century king...
in the east of Ulster. In September 1600, Mountjoy moved north from Dublin and concentrated at Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
, in order to mount an expedition further into Ulster and re-establish a garrison at Armagh, which position had been evacuated by the English Crown forces after O'Neill's victory at the Battle of the Yellow Ford
Battle of the Yellow Ford
The Battle of the Yellow Ford was fought in western County Armagh, Ulster, in Ireland, near the river Blackwater on 14 August 1598, during the Nine Years War ....
in 1598
1598 in Ireland
-Events:*August - Hugh O'Neill, 2nd Earl of Tyrone's victory over an English expeditionary force under Henry Bagenal, at the Battle of the Yellow Ford.-Births:*Patrick D'Arcy, nationalist who wrote the constitution of Confederate Ireland ....
.
On 17 September 1600, Mountjoy set out from Dundalk, intending to march to Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
and then on to Armagh
Armagh
Armagh is a large settlement in Northern Ireland, and the county town of County Armagh. It is a site of historical importance for both Celtic paganism and Christianity and is the seat, for both the Roman Catholic Church and the Church of Ireland, of the Archbishop of Armagh...
. The Moyry Pass (or "Gap of the North") was his feasible only point of entry into Ulster (much of the terrain being wooded and mountainous), and it had been well fortified by O'Neill with trenches and barricades. The Irish had constructed three lines of trenches, backed up with barricades of earth and stone. On the flanks, the Irish had made further earth and stone works and 'plashed' (twisted) the branches of low-growing trees in order to provide cover for themselves and prevent the English occupying the heights on either side of the Pass. In these positions, they awaited the English assault.
The battle
The English force reached the pass on 20 September and set up camp just outside it, to the south, on FaughartFaughart
Faughart is a town in County Louth, Ireland, situated between Forkill and Dundalk. It was the birthplace of St. Brigid , and Edward Bruce is buried in the graveyard on the hill above the town. Bruce, who had taken the title King of Ireland, was defeated and killed at the Battle of Faughart in 1318....
Hill. Taking advantage of a misty day on the 25th, an officer named Thomas Williams (who had commanded the Blackwater Fort during the Battle of the Yellow Ford
Battle of the Yellow Ford
The Battle of the Yellow Ford was fought in western County Armagh, Ulster, in Ireland, near the river Blackwater on 14 August 1598, during the Nine Years War ....
) made a sortie into the pass. After heavy fighting, he identified the Irish defence works and returned to the English camp with 12 dead and 30 wounded. For the next six days, heavy rain held up the fighting, until the weather cleared on 2 October. The weather was important because the matchlock
Matchlock
The matchlock was the first mechanism, or "lock" invented to facilitate the firing of a hand-held firearm. This design removed the need to lower by hand a lit match into the weapon's flash pan and made it possible to have both hands free to keep a firm grip on the weapon at the moment of firing,...
muskets of the day would not work in wet conditions. On 2 October, Sir Samuel Bagnall led his regiment of infantry into the Pass at the head of four other regiments. The English breached the first barricade and Thomas Bourke's regiment then led the way to the second and third lines of defence. The English took the second line only to find they were in a trap being fired on from three sides. They tried to dislodge the Irish from their remaining positions for three more hours before finally retreating, barely getting out with the Irish in close pursuit. The English admitted 46 killed and 120 wounded, but it is thought that they understated their losses throughout the campaign.
On 5 October, Mountjoy tried to bypass the heavily defended Pass by sending two regiments on a flanking march over the hill to the west of the Pass, with one further regiment supported by horsemen advancing up the centre of the Pass. No English regiment made significant gains and, with stiff Irish resistance, the force was forced to turn back. The English reported 50 dead and 200 wounded.
By 9 October, an English officer named Geoffrey Fenton
Geoffrey Fenton
Sir Geoffrey Fenton was an English writer, Privy Councillor, and Principal Secretary of State in Ireland.-Early literary years:...
complained, "we are now but where we were in the beginning". Mountjoy, giving up on trying to storm the Pass retired to Dundalk
Dundalk
Dundalk is the county town of County Louth in Ireland. It is situated where the Castletown River flows into Dundalk Bay. The town is close to the border with Northern Ireland and equi-distant from Dublin and Belfast. The town's name, which was historically written as Dundalgan, has associations...
on either the 8th or 9th of October. However, on the 14th, word reached the English camp that O'Neill had abandoned the Pass and retreated to a crannog
Crannog
A crannog is typically a partially or entirely artificial island, usually built in lakes, rivers and estuarine waters of Scotland and Ireland. Crannogs were used as dwellings over five millennia from the European Neolithic Period, to as late as the 17th/early 18th century although in Scotland,...
stronghold at Lough Lurcan. At the time, Mountjoy could not understand why O'Neill would voluntarily leave such a strong defensive position. The most likely explanation for O'Neill's withdrawal is that he was both short of ammunition and food and feared a flanking attack on his rear from Newry. Moreover, most of his forces were composed of temporary, clan-based levies, who could not be kept together for long.
Mountjoy accordingly occupied Moyry Pass on the 17th of October and dismantled the Irish earthworks there. He then marched on to Carrickban, just outside Newry
Newry
Newry is a city in Northern Ireland. The River Clanrye, which runs through the city, formed the historic border between County Armagh and County Down. It is from Belfast and from Dublin. Newry had a population of 27,433 at the 2001 Census, while Newry and Mourne Council Area had a population...
. After a stay at Carrickban, Mountjoy marched to Mountnorris
Mountnorris
Mountnorris is a small village and townland in County Armagh, Northern Ireland. It lies about six miles south of Markethill. In the 2001 Census it had a population of 165 people. It is within the Armagh City and District Council area.- History :...
(halfway between Newry and Armagh) by Sunday 2 November. There he built an earthwork fort and left a garrison of nominally 400 men in it, under the command of Captain Edward Blaney
Edward Blaney
Sir Edward Blayney, also Blainey or Blaney was a Welsh soldier in Ireland. He became Baron Blayney of Monaghan in the Peerage of Ireland....
. Returning to Newry from Mountnorris, the English marched back to Dundalk via Carlingford
Carlingford, County Louth
Carlingford is a coastal town and townland in northern County Louth, Ireland. It is situated between Carlingford Lough and Slieve Foy, sometimes known as Carlingford Mountain...
. On 13 November, during this return march they were again opposed by O'Neill, close to the Fathom Pass, and suffered 15–20 killed and 60–80 wounded.
Aftermath
The battle of Moyry Pass was basically a stalemate. Mountjoy could not take the Pass, but O'Neill could not keep his force together long enough to hold it. Mountjoy did establish a garrison at Mountnorris, but still had to retire to Dundalk after taking substantial casualties. Mountjoy claimed his force lost only 200 men killed and 400 wounded in the fighting from 20 September to 13 November, though this may be a considerable underestimate. More, he said, died of disease. The Irish casualties were given by the English as an incredible 900–1200 killed and wounded, but this is most unlikely given the fact that the Irish were in a strong defensive position of their own choosing, behind the protection of fieldworks and had lured the English into an ambush which they barely escaped from. These figures probably say more about what Mountjoy wanted the Queen to hear than about the actual casualty figures.Sources
- G.A. HAyes McCoy, Irish Battles, Appletree Press, Belfast 1989.
- John McCavitt, The Flight of the Earls, Gill & MacMillan, Dublin 2002.
- Calendar State Papers Ireland, 1600.