Battle of Macroom
| date | May 10, 1650 |
|---|---|
| place | near the village of Macroom , Ireland |
| output | Victory of the parliamentary troops |
| Parties to the conflict | |
|---|---|
|
Irish Confederation Forces |
|
| Commander | |
| Troop strength | |
| 2000 | 800 |
| losses | |
|
500-600 |
low |
The Battle of Macroom took place on May 10, 1650 near the village of Macroom (County Cork , Ireland ) during the reconquest of Ireland . An English parliamentary army under Roger Boyle defeated the Irish Confederate army under David Roche .
prehistory
Boyle was able to conquer the city of Cork for the English parliamentary troops as part of the reconquest in 1648 when he was able to persuade the English royalist garrison in the city to switch to the parliamentary side. This change of sides was of great help to Oliver Cromwell's campaign in Ireland, as the province of Munster was now open to him . The Irish and other royalist groups in the area withdrew to County Kerry , which was easier to defend because of its remoteness and hilly landscape.
The battle
David Roche, an Irish officer , organized an offensive with 2,000 men from County Kerry in early May 1650 to come to the aid of the Irish troops in the besieged town of Clonmel . Cromwell then sent Boyle with an army of 2,000 men (1,200 infantry and 800 cavalrymen ) to stop Roche. When Roche noticed the oncoming danger, he decided to retreat. Instead of letting the Irish troops escape, they had Boyle pursued with his cavalry. The battle broke out on May 10 near the village of Macroom . Irish troops were downright overrun by cavalry, and between 500 and 600 Irish soldiers were killed (including those later executed). The losses on the English side were small. The Irish units that escaped withdrew again to County Kerry.
Aftermath
The following May 11th, Boyle besieged and captured Carrigadrohid Castle by capturing Boetius MacEgan , the Catholic bishop of the area, and threatening his execution if the castle did not surrender. MacEgan demanded that the garrison in the castle continue to fight, whereupon it was hanged within sight of the castle. Shortly afterwards the garrison surrendered.