1691 Battle of Aughrim

We did wonder what the former owners of Farnham, the Maxwell family, would make of a Wine bar named after Jacobites- there is an Orange Hall, now a private residence, on the grounds!

On a visit to Farnham Estate in Co. Cavan we stopped for some refreshments in the Wine Goose bar.

The bar is named for the "Wild Geese" - the Irish aristocracy that departed Limerick after the 1691 Treaty. Many of these families married into established vinters in France- thus the term Wine Geese.

A great turnout yesterday for our #HeritageWeek tour led by Michael!

Thanks to all who came 🙌

The regiment was renamed the 6th Inniskilling Dragoons in 1751 and went on to feature in many conflicts across the world, including the War of the Austrian Succession, Napoleonic War, The Boer War, and on the Western Front. The museum in Enniskillen town is well worth a visit!

Enniskillen ⚔️

Three regiments were raised there in 1689 in response to the outbreak of the Williamte War. The most well-known of the three being Cunningham's Dragoons.

Thrilled to be able to contribute to this feature in the #IrishIndependant highlighting the significance of Aughrim as a site.

Michael Riddell continues to consistently champion local history and raise the profile of the Battlefield ⚔️

George Storey, writing after the battle, reckoned that 7000 Jacobites were killed, and that the bodies of the slain “looked like a great flock of sheep ” on the side of Kilcommadan Hill.

As the light fades, the Jacobite survivors begin the start of their long march to Limerick. The Williamite Army makes camp on the Battlefield, before beginning their own march to Galway #TheTwelfth

The next twist of fate occurs when Luttrell and Sheldon abandon the field. Their reasons for doing so have died with them; some consider that treachery was likely, but it’s possible that their morale, which had been poor to begin with, failed completely when the causeway was broken.

The chain of events after this is confused, but one thing is clear, whatever happens next, happens very quickly.
By 8pm, four English battalions have succeeded in crossing the causeway. In St. Ruth's absence the chain of command has been broken and the Jacobite troops are now struggling to rally.

The spot where St. Ruth supposedly fell is marked by a bush, imaginatively named "St. Ruth's Bush"- pictured above #AughrimLive

St. Ruth's body is supposedly covered with a cloak, but after that, who knows? There is a tantalising piece of folklore that says his body was buried in Loughrea, and his goods and his horse were sent back to France but were intercepted en route.

As he moves, an artillery piece fires a fateful shot that takes the Marquis’ head clean off!

St Ruth is up on the ridge observing the scene below. Sheldon and Luttrell are ineffectively holding off the Williamite advance and so the Marquis makes a move that will seal Ireland's fate for the next few centuries: he begins to move down the hill to his left #AughrimLive

Whether this is true, or the men were ill supplied, or keeping their heads down from the Williamite fire, something is holding the men back at the castle #AughrimLive

All this action along the causeway hasn't gone unnoticed, and the fire from the Castle ruins (held by Burke's regiment) is proving ineffective. It goes they had been supplied with French muskets which had too small a muzzle for the English ball (or vice versa) meaning they were unable to reload.

Losing patience with his men, who are understandably reluctant to cross, Mackay mounts his horse and rides across. Thrown from his horse, Mackay remounts, and Ruvigny crosses under heavy fire followed by Oxford's, Langston's, Byerly's, Leveson's, and Wynne's #AughrimLive

Narrow enough that only 2 horses can ride abreast, beset by bog, and with the castle ruins defending the very top, it’s not a ride any man would want to make, but as it stands there is currently no hope of a Williamite victory unless the causeway can be forced.

Mackay has had a bee in his bonnet over the causeway since the initial skirmishing began.

As far as St Ruth is concerned, at this point, the day is won. “La Jour est a nous!”- The day is ours! By all accounts this is going to be a victory for the Jacobites. The entire Williamite army is engaged and floundering. The Jacobite Centre and Right are holding well, and in some cases advancing.

More of the Williamite regiments march into the bog at various points- all destined for the same fate as Earle & Co. Men are being clubbed with muskets, and fighting until blood leaks into their shoes.

Lured in, man by man, hedgerow by hedgerow, the Williamite troops are drawn into the Jacobite trap. At some point around now Earle and Herbert are taken prisoner.

Under heavy fire, the four battalions soon realise that the hedgerows are lined with musketeers. Imagine their horror as they notice the glint of gun barrels in the hedges. As they march forward, the Jacobite forces fall back to the next row of hedges, maintaining their fire.

This journey is hellish; in heavy woollen coats, carrying a stone of musket alone - never mind the rest of their kit- the men have slowly crossed the bog up to their waists in mud and water #AughrimLive

By now, Earle, Herbert, Creighton, and Brewer advance into the bog towards the northern end of Aughrim Hill. The sight that meets them beyond the bog is a series of field bounderies and hedges. #AughrimLive

At around this time, the battle begins in earnest, and Huguenot troops are sent through the bog into an area that will become known as The Bloody Hollow #AughrimLive

Around this time, skirmishing begins at the Tristaun crossing with Danish troops and Cunningham’s Enniskillen dragoons clashing with the Jacobites. Casualties at this point are low, although there is a steady amount of troops being sent in from either side.
#AughrimLive

The Williamites have reached the battlefield by this time and drawn up into their battle lines. The fog that has shrouded the field for most of the day begins to lift, and the artillery begins to fire. The sound of the cannons will be a constant noise for approximately the next 7 hours. #AughrimLive

Meanwhile, the Jacobite forces encamped at #Aughrim are celebrating mass.
#AughrimLive

Dawn has broken in 1691, and it’s a foggy morning. The weather for the past few days has been wet, and the ground is sodden. The Williamite army crosses the River Suck; cavalry march over the bridge at Ballinasloe and the infantry cross at fords on either side.