Sieges of Limerick

The city of Limerick in south-western Ireland was besieged several times in the 17th century, first during the Irish Confederate Wars of the 1640s and ’50s and again in the Williamite war in Ireland. Limerick was first taken in 1642 by the Irish Confederate Catholics under Garrett Barry. In 1650-51, the Confederate held city was besieged and eventually surrendered to an English Parliamentarian army under Henry Ireton, during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland. In 1690-91, Limerick was a stronghold for the Irish Jacobites and was besieged first by William of Orange and then by his general Ginkel. The city beat off an assault by the Williamites in 1690, but surrendered on terms to them the following year. The city was also the scene of some heavy fighting during the Irish Civil War in July 1922, when Irish Free State troops took the city from its Republican garrison.

The Confederate Siege 1642

See Siege of Limerick 1642

The Cromwellian Siege 1650-51

See Siege of Limerick (1650-51)

The Williamite Sieges 1690-1691

See Siege of Limerick (1690) and Siege of Limerick (1691)

The 1922 fighting

See Irish Free State offensive

ources

*Padraig Lenihan, "Confederate Catholics at War", Cork 2001
*James Scott Wheeler, "Cromwell in Ireland", New York 1999.
*Piers Waudchope, "Patrick Sarsfield and the Williamite War", Dublin 1992.
*J.G. Simms, "Jacobite Ireland", London 1969.

ee also

*Wars of the Three Kingdoms
*Irish Confederate Wars
*Williamite war in Ireland
*History of Limerick

External links

* [http://www.britarch.ac.uk/ba/ba71/feat1.shtml | Article on the Siege of 1642 by Kenneth Wiggins]
* [http://members.tripod.com/Preachan/sieges1.html | Webpage on the Williamite sieges -including good maps and photos]