Cromwellian conquest of Ireland: Encyclopedia II - Cromwellian conquest of Ireland - The Battle of Rathmines and Cromwell’s landing in Ireland

Cromwellian conquest of Ireland - The Battle of Rathmines and Cromwell’s landing in Ireland

By the end of the period known as Confederate Ireland in 1649, the only remaining Parliamentarian outpost in Ireland was in Dublin, under the command of Colonel Michael Jones. A combined Royalist and Confederate force under James Butler, 1st Duke of Ormonde gathered at Rathmines, south of Dublin, in order to take the city and deprive the Parliamentarians of a port in which they could land. Jones however launched a surprise attack on the Royalists while they were deploying on August 2, putting them to flight. Around 3000 Royalist or Confederate soldiers were killed in the subsequent rout. Oliver Cromwell called the battle, "an astonishing mercy", as it meant that he had a secure port at which he could land his army in Ireland, and that he retained the capital city. With Admiral Robert Blake blockading the remaining Royalist fleet under Prince Rupert of the Rhine in Kinsale, Cromwell landed on on August 15.

Ormonde's troops retreated from around Dublin in dissaray. They were badly demoralised by their unexpected defeat at Rathmines were incapable of fighting another pitched battle in the short term. As a result, Ormonde hoped to hold the walled towns on Ireland's east coast to hold up the Cromwellian advance until the winter, when he hoped that "Colonel Hunger and Major Sickness" (i.e. hunger and disease) would deplete their ranks.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The Battle of Rathmines and Cromwell’s landing in Ireland", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki