The Irish standard., 1901-02-16
Art MacMorroughs Guerilla Warfare Against English
Invaders Of His Native Land.
The Irish Chieftan Routed Clad Army of 80 900
with 5000 of Brave Men.
Interesting Description of the Battles Fought Between
Saxons and Celts in Ireland.
The wars of the Irish against their

The wars of the Irish against their
English invaders from the twelfth to
the seventeenth century were so like
the wars of the Beers in our own time,
that we think some extracts from the
annalists of those times will make in
teresting reading for our subscribers,
says Judge Cough in the Chippewa
Falls (Wis.) Catholic Sentinel.
1t was the policy of the English to
attack the Irish chiefs, singly, one
after another, and so destroy them
piecemeal. Our present sketch, there
fore, is confined to Art marlborough
prince or king of Leinster, who was at
tackled by Richard H., of England We
are told that in A. d. 1898, Richard H.,
having resolved upon the conquest of
Ireland, collected an immense army
and landed at Waterford on Oct. 2
with a fleet of 200 ships. His land
forces were 1000 cavalry of knights
and men-at-arms and 10000 archers.
He was attended by the flower of Eng
lands nobility, including the earls of
Glouster, Rutland, Nottingham, Percy
and many Others The horsemen We're
completely cased in steel armor. They
wore helmets of steel and large shields
on their left arms. The horses were
also partly covered with plates of
steel. They had much the advantage
Of the Irish, who used only swords,
spears and javelins, with darts and
sings. But the Irish heavy armed
gallow-glasses carried battle axes of
so formidable character that in their
stout hands no armor could resist them.
For with a single blow they could cut
through helmet and armor and cleave
body in twain from the head to the
girdle. King Richard, after remaining
nine months in Ireland without doing
any notable act, returned to England
and left his cousin, Roger Mortimer,
earl of March, to reduce the Irish.
Mortimer, after several contests at last
fought great battle near Kells in the
county of Kilkenny with the O'Brynes
and O"Tooles, headed by marlborough,
in which Mortimer himself, together
with the greater part Of his army, were
slaughtered. In 1899 King Richard, en-
ragged at the death of his cousin Nor
timer, earl Of March, and heir-pre-
sumptive to the English crown, collect
ed another immense army and, attend
ed by all the great men of the king
dom, including the dukes of Exeter and
Glouster, the earl of Salisbury, Henry,
earl Of Lancaster, afterwards King
Henry ", and other mobiles and knights.
His army consisted Of 1000 men, COM
posed Of archcrs, cavalry and men-at-
arms. He rested his army for a week
at Waterford, then marched to Kilken-
ny, and so advancing the standard of
St. Edward, marched toward Wexford
and Wicklow. Marlborough was
posted at the head of the Leinster
clans with force Of 5000 men, which
he entrenched among the woods. They
made frequent sallies against the Eng
lish, and slew great numbers of them,
then rapidly retreated to their woods
and mountain Businesses. The duke Of
Albemarle landed at Dublin with 100
ships and powerful additional army,
which Joined King Richard, but they
could not reduce the Irish chiefs nor
venture to attack their strong positions.
Froissart, who was with the king, says:
'"The Irish soldiers were remarkably
large of limb, and very strong, and so
active that they could outrun and over
take the English horsemen at full
speed, leap up behind the rider and pull
him off his horse"
At last Richard begged a parley with
Marlborough and appointed the duke
of Glouster to meet him. The duke for
that purpose marched with 200 lancers
and 1000 horse, and met the Irish chief
on the borders of Kilkenny. A Gascon
knight i'll Richards army went with
the duke, and afterwards wrote an ac-
count of the meeting. This very Curl
GUS narrative is given in Harris Hi
bernia, from which we copy the follow
ing extracts:
Upon st. John the Baptist's eve the
king departed from Kilkenny and
marched towards Marlborough, who
profesSed to defend the land until his
death, saying that the conquest thereof
was wrongful (iust what Kruger says.
He remained in his house in the woods,
guarded by 5000 stout men, such as it
seemed to me the English marvelled
much to behold. At the entry Of the
woods the kings army was ranged in
order expecting to have been fought