Battle of Monasteranenagh (site of) — Monaster South

Battle of Monasternenagh, 1370 - summary by Dr Gavin Hughes. Uploaded 22/02/2021 Olive Alcock This engagement occurred against the backdrop of decreasing Anglo-Norman control and authority over its English lordships and it was fought between Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald, 3rd earl of Desmond and Brian Ó Briain, king of Thomond. The annalistic evidence for the battle, although lacking in detail, is found in the Annals of Connacht (Freeman 1944, 337-9), the Annals of Ulster (Mac Carthy 1893, vol. 2, 537-9, 541), the Annals of Loch Cé (Murphy 1871, vol. 2, 43), the Chartularies of St. Mary’s Abbey, Dublin (Gilbert 1884, 2, 397), the Cistercian establishments in Ireland (Gilbert 1884, 2, 235) and the Annales Hiberniae (Grace 1842, 155-7). Throughout the fourteenth century, the Anglo-Irish lordship in Ireland faced serious pressures as a result of the Bruce invasion (1315-18), a disastrous famine and the arrival of the 'Black Death' in 1349. Although it affected the Gaelic lordships as well, the plague was particularly devastating for the Anglo-Norman Irish towns. The downward trajectory continued and the strength of the Gaelic lordships began to return. In 1369, a newly appointed justiciar, William of Windsor, was determined to re-stamp English authority on an increasingly defiant Gaelic Irish population. Initially tackling Leinster, the Justiciar imprisoned and subsequently beheaded one of the main agitators, Diarmait Mac Murchadha Caomhánach but, at the same time, a revolt exploded in Munster. At the monastery of Monasternenagh (LI031-050004-), Clann Chuiléin or the Mac Con Maras had joined forces with the Ó Briains of Thomond against the 3rd earl of Desmond and were led by Brian Ó Briain, the recently installed king of Thomond. His immediate subordinate commander was Síoda Óg, son of the chief of Clann Chuiléin (Mac Carthy 1893, vol. 2, 537-9, 541). Whilst evidence for the scale of Thomond's army is negligible, it can be ascertained that, as its king, his military forces were significant and would have comprised mounted troops, infantry and kern. Although it does not seem to be recorded, it is likely that his army had a personal household contingent of gallowglass. Against this army, the English provincial forces were commanded by the earl of Desmond, Gerald FitzMaurice FitzGerald, supported by Sir John Nicholas and Sir Thomas FitzJohn (Grace 1842, 155-7). Fitzgerald's army would also have been of considerable size, formed of knights, mounted and dismounted men-at-arms, mounted archers, foot soldiers and kern. The Anglo-Irish annals and Gaelic Irish annals are at variance regarding the date of the battle. The latter (Murphy 1871, vol. 2, 43; Mac Carthy 1893, vol. 2, 537-9, 541; Freeman 1944, 337-9) maintain it was fought in 1369 but it is thought that the Anglo-Irish sources (Grace 1842, 155-7; Gilbert 1884, vol. 2, 235) are more accurate in stating that it occurred on 10 July 1370. Similarly, none of the contemporary accounts provide an exact location (save for the site of the Cistercian house at Monasternenagh) or details regarding the conduct of the battle. As such, this battlefield remains unlocated. The Annals of Connacht (Freeman 1944, 337-9) note that it was a 'great battle' in which Ó Briain defeated the 'Munster Galls' and captured the earl of Desmond. The Irish annals provide little evidence for the battle's casualty rate, which may indicate that the Gaelic Irish of Thomond had relatively few noble dead. As for the soldiery on either side, estimates of dead cannot be made. In the wake of his victory, Ó Briain moved his army seven miles to Limerick city (LI005-017----), which he razed and sacked. Following this, he extracted hostages and, according to the Annals of Ulster (Mac Carthy 1893, vol. 2, 541), Síoda Óg Mac Con Mara was made Ó Briain's warden of the city. The news of the Monasternenagh defeat forced William of Windsor to halt his Leinster campaign and move immediately to counter Ó Briain's threat. It is thought that the three barons named in the Annales Hiberniae (Grace 1842, 155-7), Sir Robert Tirrell (Castleknock), Sir Simon Fleming (Slane), Sir John Cusack (Culmullen) and the former Mayor of Dublin, John Tailor, were killed in William's subsequent Munster campaign. Indeed, William of Windsor forced the English magnates of the Pale to accompany him to Munster and fined them heavily if they went back home. This, combined with a general wastage of resources, ongoing warfare and plague, resulted in his removal from office in 1372. As a footnote, for Síoda Óg Mac Con Mara, his wardenship of Limerick was also short lived, as the Annals of Ulster (Mac Carthy 1893, vol. 2, 541) stated, he was soon 'betrayed' by the townsfolk and killed.