Key Facts
- Year
- 1171
- Irish besieging force
- 60,000 men
- Irish casualties
- ~1,500 killed in night attack
- Outcome
- Anglo-Norman defensive victory; Irish forces routed
- Defending commander
- Strongbow (Richard de Clare)
Strategic Narrative Overview
Ua Conchobair divided his vast army into four encampments around Dublin, establishing a siege intended to starve or overwhelm the defenders. Strongbow, aware of the threat and emboldened by having already repulsed an earlier Irish assault on the city, chose an aggressive response. Under cover of night he led a sudden sally directly into Ua Conchobair's own camp, catching the Irish forces completely off guard.
01 / The Origins
Following the Anglo-Norman intervention in Ireland, Strongbow seized Dublin and established a strong Norman foothold on the island. Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair, the last high king of Ireland, sought to reverse these gains and reassert Gaelic supremacy by marshalling a large coalition army estimated at sixty thousand men to retake the strategically vital city of Dublin from its Norman garrison.
03 / The Outcome
The night attack killed approximately fifteen hundred of the besieging force and caused the remainder to break and flee. The siege collapsed entirely, leaving Dublin firmly in Anglo-Norman hands. The defeat severely damaged Ua Conchobair's prestige as high king and effectively ended any coordinated Gaelic effort to dislodge the Normans from Dublin, cementing their presence in Ireland.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Ruaidrí Ua Conchobair.
Side B
1 belligerent
Strongbow (Richard de Clare).
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.