Williamite war in Ireland: Encyclopedia II - Williamite war in Ireland - Limerick Aughrim and the end of the War

Williamite war in Ireland - Limerick Aughrim and the end of the War

The war continued with the Irish retreating to Limerick, where they repulsed a Williamite assault with heavy casualties in August 1690. The Irish position was now a defensive one, holding a large enclave in western Ireland, including all of the province of Connacht bounded by the Shannon river. The Irish Jacobites were encouraged by their successful defence of Limerick and still hoped they could win the war with help from France. William left Ireland in late 1690, entrusting command of the Williamite forces there to the Dutch general Godert de Ginkell. Ginkel broke into Connacht via the town of Athlone, after a bloody siege there. He then advanced on key Jacobite stronghold of Galway and Limerick. St Ruth, the Jacobite's French commander attempted to block Ginkel's advance at Aughrim, but Ginkel's army inflicted a crushing defeat on the Irish at the Battle of Aughrim, where the Jacobites lost up to 8000 men (or about half their army), killed wounded and taken prisoner.

St Ruth himself, the Jacobite General was among the dead. Ginkel took Galway, which surrendered on terms and went on to besiege Limerick. The siege of Limerick ended with Irish surrender on September 23rd 1691, when Patrick Sarsfield, dispairing of any hope of victory, overthrew the French officers in command of the city and opened negotiations with Ginkel. The peace Treaty of Limerick signed on 3rd October 1691 offered generous terms to Jacobites willing to stay in Ireland and give an oath of loyalty to William III. Peace was concluded on these terms between Sarsfield and Ginkel, but the Protestant dominated Irish Parliament refused to ratify the articles of the Treaty that gave toleration to Catholicism and full legal rights to Catholics. In fact the penal laws, which discriminated against Catholics were updated and reinforced after the war by the "Protestant Ascendancy" in Parliament. Irish Jacobites saw this as a severe breach of faith. A popular contemporary Irish saying went, cuimhnidh Luimneach agus feall na Sassanaigh ("remember Limerick and English treachery"). Part of the treaty required the Irish army to leave Ireland for France, the "Flight of the Wild Geese" which led to the setting up of the Irish Brigade. Around 14,000 men left Ireland with Patrick Sarsfield in 1691 along with around 10,000 women and children.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "Limerick Aughrim and the end of the War", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki