The first major English defeat of the Nine Years' War, the battle demonstrated Hugh O'Neill's capacity to challenge English military power in Ireland.
Key Facts
- Date
- 27 May 1595
- English force size
- 1,750 troops
- English commander
- Henry Bagenal
- Irish commander
- Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone
- English objective
- Relieve besieged garrison at Monaghan Castle
- Outcome
- Irish victory; English suffered very heavy losses
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During the Nine Years' War in Ireland, an English garrison at Monaghan Castle came under siege by Gaelic Irish forces. The English administration dispatched a relief column of 1,750 soldiers under Henry Bagenal to break the siege and reassert control over the region.
As Bagenal's relief column marched through County Monaghan near Clontibret in May 1595, it was ambushed by a larger Gaelic Irish army commanded by Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone. The English suffered very heavy casualties throughout the engagement, and only a desperate cavalry charge prevented the column's complete destruction.
The battle resulted in a decisive Irish victory and was the first severe English setback of the Nine Years' War. The outcome shocked English authorities and signalled that O'Neill commanded a formidable military force capable of inflicting serious defeats on English armies in the field.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Henry Bagenal.
Side B
1 belligerent
Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone.