THE history of Munster prior to the first Desmond rebellion in 1569, will give us a close insight into the causes.
For over 200 years the Munster and south Leinster area was dominated by the Butlers of Ormonde and the Fitzgeralds of Desmond, whose followers were known as Geraldines. Both had raised their own armies and made their own laws. They were also very much opposed to each other and this led to regular skirmishes and quarrels, to which there was no resolution over the years. Earl Gerald Fitzgerald, his brother John and cousin James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald were the principle culprits. James would later become known as “the arch-traitor,” due to his actions after Gerald and John were imprisoned in the Tower of London following a crushing defeat by Thomas Butler, Earl of Ormonde, in the battle of Affane, Co Waterford in 1565.
After this battle, both parties were summoned to London by Queen Elizabeth and, while Ormonde was pardoned, perhaps because he was the Queen’s cousin, on his urgings both Gerald and John were detained in the Tower where they would remain for seven years. It must be mentioned that the official laws of the time were Elizabethan law, which Lord Sidney, the then lord deputy of Ireland, was instructed to impose in 1560, thereby destroying the laws enforced by the clans. His plan was to appoint provincial military governors and it was his attempt to carry out this plan in Munster that was responsible for the Affane confrontation.
This now left James Fitzmaurice (who had already lost his land in Kerriecurrihy, south Cork, which was then leased to English colonists) in command of the Desmond military. He had no time for the new regulations, which would mean the abolition of native laws and customs as well as private armies plus the demilitarisation of Munster. He had widespread support from important clans like O’Sullivan Beara, the McCarthys and even two Butlers, brothers of the earl. James was a staunch Catholic; he commenced fighting his cause both against 0rmonde, but even more so against forces of the Crown. He was found to be a brave and gallant leader, adventurous and witty, with a good political mind. He quickly became the centre of Irish hope and also the dread of the English against whom he pitted his organisational ability with aplomb. The new Desmond leader was determined to recover his land, but also reinstate Fitzgerald rule within the context of the English Kingdom of Ireland, so he quietly planned a rebellion, while sending the archbishop of Cashel, Maurice McGibbon, to Spain to seek assistance from King Phillip 11, which was not forthcoming.
rebellion started with an attack on his home area of Kerriecurrihy, where he captured Tracton castle-abbey and hanged the garrison before his advance on Cork city in June 1569. Fitzgerald, with his 4,500 men, then laid siege to the Ormonde
The stronghold of Kilkenny in July. By now, however, a string of events was taking place which would lead to his downfall. Sidney had marched 660 soldiers from Dublin, while another 400 landed by sea in Cork. Thomas Butler, the Earl of Ormonde, had returned from London and forced the rebel Butlers and their men out of the rebellion, as well as mobilising clans who did not like the Geraldines.
Sidney had also promoted Humphrey Gilbert to the rank of colonel and also governor of Munster to aid the quelling of the Fitzgerald rebellion. Gilbert, who was a half brother of Sir Walter Raleigh, had been governor of Ulster after the assassination of O’Neill, but his eyes were always on the richer pickings of Munster. He had a reputation for ruthlessness, and this would be proven in no uncertain manner during his actions in the southern province.
The English plan was to attack and destroy the lands and property of Fitzgerald’s allies. This meant these fighters had to leave and defend their own homes. Gilbert gained notoriety in his victories, by decapitating all in his path, men, women and children, and then placing their heads on poles at the entrance to his camps in order to discourage people joining the rebellion.
Fitzgerald was forced into the Kerry mountains, from where he started hit-and-run operations against his enemies. He had some notable successes, notably the capture and burning of Kilmallock in 1571, the year John Perrot, reputedly the son of King Henry VIII, was appointed lord president of Munster. Perrot immediately set out to end Fitzgerald’s reign, but although using 700 troops in his attempt, after a year his efforts brought no success; in fact, James would continue to create havoc for the crown forces over a three-year period.
However, by February 1573, with his force reduced to less than a hundred men, he was left with no option but to surrender, having negotiated a pardon for his life. In 1575, he sailed to France in an attempt to drum up support for another rebellion. By this time, Gerald and John had been released from the tower and returned home and immediately set out to repair their shattered territory.
Local chiefs carried a deep resentment to terms at the end of the rebellion, as did the gall oglaigh or as the English called them “the Gallowglass” the elite fighting mercenaries from Gaelic-Norse clans resident in the Scottish highlands and western isles, with most of the things James Fitzgerald had fought against now law, and once again the Irish laws subverted.
The second rebellion started when James invaded Munster in 1579. The pope had excommunicated Elizabeth because of her actions in the Desmond and northern England Catholic rebellions. This provoked Elizabeth to suppression of that religion and James quickly pointed out that Catholics no longer owed loyalty to a heretic monarch. The pope supplied him with both troops and money. He landed at Smerick, near Dingle, with Italian and Spanish troops on 18 July and he was joined by his brother John with a large force of Munster’s finest fighting men and other clans. On 18 August, James was killed in a skirmish with the Clanwilliam Burkes, leaving John to take over leadership of the rebellion.
Gerald, the Earl of Desmond, had resisted joining the battle until he was branded a traitor. He then sacked the towns of Youghal and Kinsale. In the summer of 1580, English troops under William Pelham, with the backing of Ormonde and his men, recaptured the south coast destroying the Desmond lands and killing their tenants. The English captured Carrigfoyle Castle, Desmond’s main stronghold over the Easter period, and the rebellion was in trouble. Leinster now joined in the rebellion under Fiac MacHugh O’Byrne and Lord Viscount Baltinglass in July. A large English force sent to subdue them was ambushed and massacred at Glenmalure, with 800 killed on 25 August, but the Leinster men were not able to capitalise on this success. In September, 600 papal troops landed at Smerwick in Kerry to aid the rebellion. They were besieged at Dun An Oir, leading to their surrender after two days, and they were then massacred.
By May 1581 most of the Fitzgerald allies in Munster and Leinster had accepted Elizabeth’s offer of a general pardon. In early 1582, the leader of the rebellion, John Desmond, was killed north of Cork. The war continued for another year, but ended in November ’83 when Gerald, the Earl of Desmond, was killed near Tralee by the Clan O’ Moriarty, whose chief Maurice received 1,000 pounds of silver from the British government for his head, which was sent to Elizabeth. His body was displayed in triumph on the walls of Cork.