Battle of the Curlew Mountains

The E-W Curlew Mountains form a boundary between Sligo and Moylurg with a single pass called the Yellow Pass where there is a road (RO006-001----) between the mountains to the W and Sheegorey Hill to the E The mountains marked the southern boundary of O'Donnell influence in the later middle ages. There were many battles in the Yellow Pass, amongst the more famous being one in 1497 when Tadhg MacDermot, King of Moylurg (1497-9), defeated Conor O'Donnell, killed about 800 of his followers and captured the Cathach, a copy of the Psalms written by St Columcille, although the Cathach was returned to the O'Donnells two years later (MacDermot 1996, 125-6). A battle took place in 1599 when an English force under Sir Conyers Clifford, Governor of Connaught, attempted a rapid march from Athlone to Sligo to relieve O'Conor Sligo who was besieged in Collooney by Red Hugh O'Donnell. Although O'Donnell had a large force in the vicinity, the Irish troops in the pass are not readily identified. The vanguard of Clifford's force were enticed into a bog and when they broke ranks and retreated they caused havoc in the rearguard when Brian O'Rourke arrived from E of Sheegory Hill. Over 200 of Clifford's force died, including Clifford himself, and his headless body was buried at Triinity Abbey (RO006-036001-). (Mattimoe 1986, 1996) Situated in pasture on the steep S-facing slopes of the Curlew mountains, the area of the battle is near the ancient roadway (RO006-001----). A monument (RO006-002001-) was erected in the late 18th century to Sir Conyers Clifford. Described as an limestone octogon it was reduced in height to c. 1m by the 1830s (O'Flanagan 1931, 105-6), and it is now an overgrown cairn (diam. of base c. 3.5m; diam. of top 1.5m; H 0.9m). The monument is erroneously described as one to a Capt. Alexander Weir, killed in a skirmish with Sarsfield's troops in 1690 (D'Alton 1845, 83-4). Compiled by: Michael Moore Date of upload: 24 August 2010