Battle of Moiry Pass

This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. Find sources: "Battle of Moiry Pass" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR (September 2014) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

Battle of Moiry Pass
Part of Bruce campaign in Ireland
Date 1315 Location Moyry Pass, County Armagh, Ireland Result Scottish victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Scotland and Gaelic allies	Lordship of Ireland and Gaelic allies
Commanders and leaders
Edward Bruce	Mac Duilechain of Clanbrassil Mac Artain of Iveagh
Strength
unknown	unknown
Casualties and losses
unknown	unknown

The Battle of Moiry Pass was a military engagement between a Scots-Irish army commanded by

. Bruce considered the battle a great success but his campaign would ultimately fail.

Background

After the

Edward Bruce, Earl of Carrick, invaded Ireland on 26 May 1315, with the full support of his brother, Robert the Bruce.^[3] A number of MacDougalls and their allies had fled to Ireland and the Bruces saw it as another front in the ongoing war against Norman England.^[2] Edward's 6,000 troops landed unopposed near Larne He defeated an of his brother's father-in-law, Richard Óg de Burgh, 2nd Earl of Ulster, led by Thomas de Mandeville, before moving on to take the town of Carrickfergus.

Battle

In late June, Edward proceeded from Carrickfergus along Magh Line (Six Mile Water), burning Rathmore, near Antrim town, which was a holding of the Savages. He then went south by way of the Moiry Pass. Here he was met by Mac Duilechain of Clanbrassil and Mac Artain of Iveagh,

Dundalk

Moving southwards, they burned Rathmore and destroyed De Verdon's fortress of Castleroache near Dundalk. Outside the town Bruce encountered an army led by John FitzThomas FitzGerald, 4th Lord of Offaly, his son-in-law Edmund Butler, Earl of Carrick and Maurice FitzGerald, 4th Baron Desmond. The Scottish push them back towards Dundalk and lay waste to the town and its inhabitants.^[1] At Ardee they set fire to the church in which a number of people had taken refuge and all were burned to death.^[5]

Although Bruce had a large army, he was losing large amounts of forces at every battle he was involved in. By 1318, Bruce had only 2,000 men left. At the Battle of Faughart, Bruce fought the lordship with all of his surviving men. Bruce was killed by John de Bermingham at the battle and Bruce was buried at a cemetery above Faughart.^[6]

References