Battle of Kilrush facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Battle of Kilrush |
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| Part of the Irish Confederate Wars | |||||||
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Royalists |
 Irish Catholic rebels |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 Duke of Ormonde |
Viscount Mountgarret |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 3,000 infantry 500 cavalry |
8,000 infantry 400 cavalry |
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| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 60 | 500 | ||||||
The Battle of Kilrush was an important fight during the Irish Confederate Wars. This was a big conflict in Ireland in the 1600s. The battle happened on April 15, 1642. It was fought between two main groups. One was the Royalist army, led by the Earl of Ormonde. The other was the Irish Confederate army, led by Lord Mountgarret. The Royalists won this battle.
Contents
Why did the battle happen?
In 1642, Ireland was in the middle of a big war. This war was called the Irish Confederate Wars. It started with the Irish Rebellion of 1641. The Royalist army was loyal to the King. The Irish Confederates were Irish Catholics who wanted more rights.
On April 2, 1642, the Earl of Ormonde was a top Royalist commander. He led his army from Dublin into areas like Kildare and Laois. His goal was to strengthen Royalist forts there. He also wanted to stop landowners who had joined the rebellion.
Ormonde's army traveled for ten days. They went from Dublin to Maryborough (now Portlaoise). On their way back, they heard news. A large rebel army was trying to stop them from returning to Dublin.
Getting ready for the fight
Ormonde had started with 3,000 foot soldiers and 500 horse soldiers. But he had left some soldiers at forts. This meant his army was smaller now. He wanted to avoid a direct fight if he could.
The rebel army was much larger. It had about 8,000 foot soldiers and hundreds of horse soldiers. This rebel army was led by Lord Mountgarret. Other important rebel leaders were also with him. These included Rory O'Moore and Hugh O'Byrne. Interestingly, Ormonde and Mountgarret were actually cousins! They were both part of the Butler dynasty.
Ormonde knew he was in a tough spot. So, early on April 15, he moved his army out of Athy. They traveled northeast on high ground. They passed through towns like Ardscull and Funtstown.
At the same time, the rebel army moved too. They went in the same direction. They were on high ground southeast of Ormonde's army. They passed through Ballyndrum and Narraghmore. The rebels were trying to get to a place called Ballyshannon pass first.
Ormonde's army was slowed down by their wagons and supplies. So, he sent his cavalry (horse soldiers) ahead. The rebels reached the pass first. They took positions in Kilrush and Bullhill. This meant they were ready to stop Ormonde's army.
The Battle Begins!
Even though Ormonde's army was outnumbered, they managed to win. Lord Mountgarret's rebel army was not very well organized.
The Royalist cavalry led the attack. They charged first and broke through the left side of the rebel army. The right side of the rebel army held on for a while. But eventually, they also had to retreat and broke apart. Many rebels tried to run away. But the Royalist soldiers caught and killed them. Other rebels found safety in a nearby bog (a type of wetland). The Royalist horse soldiers could not follow them there.
Rebel reports said they had very few losses. But Ormonde claimed that over 500 rebels were killed. The exact number of rebel deaths is not known. However, several important rebel leaders were reported missing. Also, the rebel army that fought in this battle stopped existing. The Royalists reported much fewer losses. They said 20 of their soldiers were killed and 40 were wounded.
What happened next?
The Royalists saw this battle as a great victory. The Irish government gave Ormonde a valuable jewel. It was worth £500, which was a lot of money back then.
The main rebel leaders, including Mountgarret, O'Moore, and O'Byrne, all survived the battle. They continued to be important figures in the Irish Confederate Wars.
At that time, the Royalist forces had many small forts around Ireland. But they only had one main army that could fight big battles. If this army had been defeated at Kilrush, it would have been a huge problem for the Royalists. It could have changed the whole war across Ireland. This shows how important the Battle of Kilrush was in the long run.
