The Wapenshaw

The Bruce Invasion of Ireland

by Mike Haarstick of Campa na bhFiann

One year after his victory over the English at the Battle of Bannockburn, Robert the Bruce had not been formally recognized as the rightful King of Scotland. Edward II still put pressure on the borders of Scotland, drawing manpower from his Irish holdings. To force recognition and to relieve pressure on the southern border, Robert the Bruce decided to invade Ireland. The task was left to Robert’s brother, Edward Earl of Carrick. On May 26, 1315, a large Scottish army landed in Ulster, near Larne.

Ireland, in 1315, was in the grip of a famine. The Norman expansion over the last two hundred years, as well as unusually cold conditions, left Norman and Irish alike desperate for food. Thomas Dun, a notorious pirate, was the only supply line the Scots had. He and his fleet controlled the Irish Sea for three years. The famine would rage for over twenty years in varying degrees and would play a major role in the Bruce conquest of Ireland.

Declaring, "our people and your people, free in times past, share the same national ancestry and a common language and common custom," the Bruces called the Irish to arms. Quick alliances were formed with the O’Neill, king of Tir Eoghain, and others. Conquest began with harrying "the choicest parts of Ulster".

Harrying was a common tactic used in Gaelic warfare. It involved plunder and destruction rather than conquest. The idea was to destroy the enemy’s store houses and supplies so that a subsequent invasion would be easier. It involved only limited risk and could have devastating effects for the enemy. The severity of the plundering ranged from the theft of a few cows (which may be returned later, or stolen back) to laying waste to the countryside.

The invasion of the Scots took the resident English by surprise. The two most powerful men in Ireland, Edmund Butler and Richard de Burgo, were seeing to their estates in Connacht and Munster and were unavailable to lead English counter attacks. The forces opposing Edward the Bruce were Sir Thomas de Mandeville and the MacCartans. Both were swept aside. The Scottish army continued to Dundalk in County Louth and razed it.

Butler and de Burgo now rushed to intercept the Bruce invasion. De Burgo had extensive estates in Ulster, lands that he would lose if Edward was not stopped. Accompanied by his ally, Felim O’Connor, King of Connacht, De Burgo marched twenty battalions through Meath and Mag Breg, burning everything in his path. In Meath, De Burgo encountered Butler and thirty battalions ready to march against the Scots. De Burgo, fearing that Butler’s army would destroy his lands, would not let Butler join him. To goad De Burgo, Edward ravaged the Earl’s lands in Innishowen and the Roe Valley. Butler took up position outside Dublin as De Burgo went on to defend his Earldom.

It was at this time that representatives from Edward’s Scottish Army secretly approached Felim O’Connor, King of Connacht. With little effort, they convinced him to switch sides in exchange for total control over Connacht and the restoration of the lands the Normans had taken. De Burgo’s army and the Scots finally squared off against each other in a skirmish near the Bann estuary. De Burgo’s ambush, thank to the change of heart by the Connacht King, was a failure and he was forced to retreat to Connors. In September of 1315, Edward the Bruce’s spearmen overwhelmed him, driving the remnants to Carrickfergus Castle which fell the following year after a long siege.

With fresh reinforcements from Scotland, Edward drove deep into Ireland defeating Roger de Mortimer and de Lacy. After a brief break for Christmas, Edward continued his conquest through a bitter winter, defeating Butler in January of 1316. Carrickfergus Castle surrendered in September of 1316, and gave the Bruce absolute control over Ulster.

After the fall of Carrickfergus Castle, Robert the Bruce came to Ireland with a large army. Together, the brothers renewed their conquest in 1317. After conquering Meath and standing on the doorstep of Dublin, the damage of the famine and the years of warfare began to take its toll. Both armies were out of food. Even the English lacked the supplies to make any strategic maneuvers. The annals report cemeteries being dug up and women devouring their children. The Bruce’s allies began to fall away. Only the O’Neills remained. Robert returned to Scotland in May.

In July of 1318, Thomas Dun, Edward’s only connection with Scotland and his sole supply line, was captured. Now Edward stood alone against the English. The harvest of 1318 was good and soon action began. Edward, out of supplies and cut off, made another attempt to destroy the English forces. At Faughert Hill near Dundalk, Edward was killed along with MacRuaidri, King of the Hebrides, and Mac Domnaill, King of Argyle. The surviving Scots fell back to Ulster where their talents were instrumental in the formation of the last bastion of free Gaels in Ireland until the reign of King James in 1607.

References:

Bardon, Jonathan , A History of Ulster. The Blackstaff Press Ltd., Belfast, 1992.

Simms, Katherine, "Gaelic Warfare in the Middle Ages.", A Military History of Ireland. Bartlett, T., and Jeffrey, K., eds. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 1996.