Siege of Glin Castle information

Siege of Glin Castle
Part of the Nine Years' War
Contemporaneous map depicting the Siege. (1600)
Date 5–9 July 1600 Location Glin Castle, Ireland Result Crown victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of England Kingdom of Ireland	Forces of the Knight of Glin
Commanders and leaders
George Carew Earl of Thomond	Knight of Glin (observer) Unnamed Constable  † Donall na Searrach Culhane  † Tadhg Dore  †
Strength
800 foot 60 horse[note 1]	c.86 man garrison[note 2]
Casualties and losses
11 killed 21 wounded[note 3]	80 killed 1 surrendered 5 escaped[note 4]

The Siege of Glin Castle was undertaken between the 5th and 9th of July 1600 by the newly appointed Lord President of Munster, George Carew (assisted by the Earl of Thomond), in his summer campaign against the followers of James FitzThomas FitzGerald (The Súgan Earl), who had risen up against the English settlers during Tyrone's rebellion and laid claim to the title of Earl of Desmond. Among his allies was Edmund Fitzthomas Fitzgerald (known as Eamonn na gCath), Knight of Glin.

The Súgan Earl's large army, which numbered up to 3,000 men had shadowed Carew's force on their progress to Glin and watched them closely upon their preparation of the siege but did not intervene due to disunity in their ranks. Thus the siege was permitted to proceed along normal lines with Carew's camp uninterrupted in their preparations after their arrival on the 5th of July.

On the 7th of July, the Knight met with his relative, the Earl of Thomond who attempted to persuade him to order the castle's surrender, being shown the array of cannons and being informed him that Carew intended to execute his young son whom he held hostage. The Knight refused and left the camp to watch the siege from a vantage point, perhaps overestimating the Castle's defencability against cannon and expecting Desmond's army to relieve the siege. Final negotiations between the castle's constable and Thomond that evening were unfruitful.

The following morning (the 8th) the attack commenced (after a final offer of surrender with the knight's son strapped to the demi cannon) and the castle was bombarded with cannon and small shot, the demi-cannon breached the castle vault and the castle's main hall and turrets were secured by night time with the defenders being driven into the castle keep. The same night there was an abortive escape attempt from here and the ward were driven back inside with the constable being slain in this action.

On the morning of the 9th of July, a final assault was launched on the castle's keep. The defenders had retreated up to the castle battlements and were slaughtered there with many attempting to jump from the roof into the water surrounding it and few escaping.

After this Carew spent the next five days rebuilding the castle and had it garrisoned by 20 men under Captain Nicholas Mordant. A later attempt to recapture the castle by the rebels in August was unsuccessful.
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