Siege of Glin Castle facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Siege of Glin Castle |
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| Part of the Nine Years' War | |||||||
 An old map showing the Siege. (1600) |
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| Belligerents | |||||||
 Forces of the Knight of Glin |
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| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
 George Carew Earl of Thomond |
Knight of Glin (observer) Unnamed Constable † Donall na Searrach Culhane † Tadhg Dore † |
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| Strength | |||||||
| 800 foot 60 horse |
c.86 man garrison | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 11 killed 21 wounded |
80 killed 1 surrendered 5 escaped |
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The Siege of Glin Castle happened between July 5 and 9, 1600. It was part of a bigger conflict called Tyrone's rebellion (also known as the Nine Years' War in Ireland). During this war, some Irish leaders fought against English rule.
The siege was led by George Carew, who was the new English leader in Munster. He was helped by the Earl of Thomond. Their goal was to defeat the followers of James FitzThomas FitzGerald, known as "The Súgan Earl." He had claimed the title of Earl of Desmond and was leading a rebellion against English settlers. One of his important allies was Edmund Fitzthomas Fitzgerald, also called Eamonn na gCath, who was the Knight of Glin.
The Súgan Earl had a large army of about 3,000 men. They watched Carew's forces as they prepared for the siege at Glin. However, the Súgan Earl's army did not attack because they were not united. This allowed Carew to continue his preparations without interruption after arriving on July 5.
On July 7, the Knight of Glin met with his relative, the Earl of Thomond. The Earl tried to convince him to surrender the castle. He showed the Knight the English cannons and warned him that Carew planned to execute his young son, who was being held hostage. The Knight refused to surrender. He left the camp to watch the siege from a safe distance. He might have thought the castle was stronger than it was, or that Desmond's army would come to help. Later that evening, the castle's constable also refused to surrender during talks with Thomond.
The main attack started the next morning, July 8. Before firing, Carew made one last offer of surrender. He tied the Knight's son to a large cannon, threatening to fire him if the castle didn't give up. After this, the boy was removed, and the cannons began to fire. The large cannon broke through the castle's main hall. By nightfall, the English had taken the main hall and turrets, pushing the defenders into the castle's keep. That night, some defenders tried to escape but were forced back inside. The constable was killed during this attempt.
On the morning of July 9, the English launched their final attack on the castle keep. The remaining defenders had climbed to the castle battlements. Many were killed there, and some tried to jump from the roof into the water below. Only a few managed to escape.
After the siege, Carew spent five days rebuilding the castle. He left 20 soldiers there, led by Captain Nicholas Mordant. The rebels tried to take the castle back in August, but they failed.
Contents
Why the Siege Happened
The Uprising in Munster
Some Irish families, known as the Old English, joined Hugh O'Neill's rebellion. This included Edmund fitz Thomas FitzGerald, the Knight of Glin. They were encouraged by O'Neill's victory in 1598. These families were already unhappy with English settlers taking their land. They had seen much destruction in their region.
They kicked out the newcomers and took control of parts of Munster. In County Limerick, they gathered most of their forces. The English leader, Sir Thomas Norris, could not defeat them and fled. An informant told the English who the main rebel leaders were. He named "Florence McCarthy, James Fitz Thomas, the White Knight, McDonogh, O'Sullivan Beare, the knight of Kerry, the knight of the Valley, and others."
Carew Takes Charge
When Sir George Carew became the new English leader in Munster, the rebels' success ended. He arrived in Cork in April 1600. Carew was very clever at making people fight among themselves. He offered money to Dermot O'Connor, a mercenary leader, to capture the Súgan Earl. O'Connor tricked the Súgan Earl and took him prisoner.
But other rebel leaders, like Fitzmaurice of Lixnaw and Pierce Lacy, worked with Edmund Fitz Thomas. They attacked the castle where the Súgan Earl was held with about 4,000 supporters. They rescued him before Carew's soldiers arrived.
Carew kept trying to cause trouble among the rebels. The Súgan Earl also proved to be a weak leader. This became clear during the siege of Glin Castle in July 1600. His army lacked a clear plan and did not work well together.
Getting Ready for Battle
Carew's Journey to Glin
Taking Glin Castle was a very important win for Carew in his summer campaign of 1600. In May, he captured Bruff Castle. In June, he took Croom Castle. The soldiers there left the fortress with lots of food when the English army came near.
Carew then left Askeaton on July 4. He marched towards Glin with 800 foot soldiers and 80 horsemen. Carew and his soldiers traveled 20 miles. The Súgan Earl's forces watched them closely. Carew's army was only attacked once, near Ballyhahill. Carew responded very harshly to these attacks.
Setting Up the Siege
As Carew got closer to Glin Castle, the castle's soldiers destroyed nearby houses. The Súgan Earl and his supporters were on hills overlooking the castle. It seemed they planned to attack Carew's soldiers. Carew said the Súgan Earl's forces were over 3,000 strong. Irish stories said it was closer to 1,600.
Carew ignored them and began to set up his siege. He likely knew the Súgan Earl's forces were divided. He surrounded the castle from the south-west. English ships were already near the castle on the Shannon Estuary. They had cannons, including one or two Sacre cannons and a large Demi-cannon. The cannons were brought up the river by boats. That night, Carew's army dug trenches between the castle and the river.
The next morning, July 6, Carew talked with the castle's constable. While they talked, Carew set up his cannons. He placed the large demi-cannon and one saker cannon on a hill opposite the castle. The other cannons were placed around the castle.
Negotiations and Threats
On July 7, the Knight of Glin, Edmund fitz Thomas, sent a messenger to Carew's camp. He wanted to meet Carew. He met with the Earl of Thomond, his relative, who was helping Carew. Thomond told Edmund that Carew would only meet him if he surrendered completely to Queen Elizabeth I. Edmund refused to surrender without conditions.
Edmund was then shown the cannons pointed at the castle. He was also allowed to see his six-year-old son, who was Carew's hostage. Carew threatened to kill the boy if the castle did not surrender. Edmund talked with Thomond again but still refused to give the order to surrender. He went back to watch the siege from his viewpoint. He might have wrongly believed the castle was strong enough to resist the cannons. He also thought the Súgan Earl's army would come to help.
Later that evening, the castle's constable sent a messenger to the Earl of Thomond. The constable warned Thomond that the Súgan Earl's army, about 3,000 strong, was close by. He said they would attack Carew's camp when the siege began. The Earl of Thomond refused the constable's warning and demanded the castle's surrender. The constable refused and went back to the castle. Carew was very angry when he heard this. He sent a message to the constable, threatening to cut off his head within two days.
The Attack Begins
Opening Fire
Early on July 8, the gunner found a problem with the large demi-cannon. Carew, who knew a lot about cannons, fixed it himself. Before giving the order to fire, Carew tried one more time to make the castle surrender. He had Edmund's six-year-old son tied to the mouth of the demi-cannon. He warned the castle's defenders that he would fire the boy from the cannon if they didn't surrender. Then, Carew ordered the boy to be taken off the cannon and gave the command to fire.
The castle had about 80 defenders. They were led by Donall na Searrach Culhane and Tadhg Dore. About 24 of them were loyal to the Knight of Glin. They were no match for Carew's cannons. They hoped the Súgan Earl's army, which was only two miles away, would help them. But this help never came because of disagreements among the Súgan Earl's supporters. This meant the siege continued as planned.
Breaching the Castle
The English fired small shots at the castle, and the defenders hid. Then, the large cannon made a big hole under the main hall of the castle. Only one English soldier was killed during this. Captain Flower and a group of chosen men entered through the hole. They fought their way into the great hall, pushing the defenders into a nearby part of the castle. From there, the defenders killed four English soldiers.
Captain Flower then climbed and captured the two turrets above the hall. The English flags were raised on these turrets. A second attack was led by Turlough Roe MacMahon. His attack failed, and further attacks were stopped until the next day. Captain Slingsbie was told to hold this position until morning. Around midnight, the constable and his troops tried to escape. The constable was killed, and most of the defenders were forced back inside the castle. Only two managed to get away.
The next morning, July 9, Turlough Roe MacMahon's group went into the castle keep. They found no one there. They found a wooden door leading to a narrow staircase in the tower. They set the door on fire. The smoke filled the staircase, making it impossible to go up for two hours. When the smoke cleared, one man came out and surrendered.
Then, English soldiers, including Captain Slingsbie and Captain Flower, went up the stairs. They found no defenders on the stairs or in the upper rooms. All the defenders had gone to the battlements, ready to fight to the death.
Final Fight
Carew's men went up to the battlements. There was only one door to get there. Captain Flower and Captain Slingsby entered. The spaces between the castle roof and the battlements were very narrow. Some defenders were killed right there. Others jumped from the top of the castle into the water below, where English guards killed them.
According to old stories, Donall na Searrach Culhane and two of his sons, along with Tadhg Dore and his brother, were killed in this final defense. Some defenders tried to escape by jumping into the water. Only three men succeeded: Mahon Dillane, Lewy O’Connor, and Donall Beag Culhane.
In total, 11 English soldiers were killed, and 21 were wounded. Almost the entire castle garrison, about 80 defenders, were killed.
What Happened Next
Carew spent five days rebuilding Glin Castle. He left 20 soldiers there because he thought it was a very important place. People were so unhappy with Carew's harsh rule that they tried to fight back. Carew was called "An Famaire Riabhach," which means "the swarthy monster." Even today, people in Glin use his name to scare naughty children.
Carew knew that taking Glin Castle had scared the rebels. He reported that other rebel leaders only started talking to him after Glin was captured.
After Glin Castle fell, Edmund Fitz Thomas joined forces with Florence McCarthy and others. They tried to take Glin Castle back before August 25, but they failed. By October 1, their combined forces were smaller. They were mostly stealing cows for their men.
George Tuchet, Lord Audley, started trying to get the Glin estate. A reward of £100 was offered for the Knight of Glin. He fled north to Ulster and joined another rebel leader, Red Hugh O'Donnell. He later went south to fight at Kinsale, where he was wounded. One of his followers saved him from death.
After the rebellion, the English offered a general pardon to most rebels. But Edmund was specifically excluded from this pardon. He hid in the Sliabh Luachra area until 1603, when his lands were given back to him.
Images for kids
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Contemporaneous map depicting the Siege. (1600)
