Battle of Castlebar

Battle of Castlebar
Part of the United Irishmen Rebellion
Date 27 August 1798 Location Castlebar, County Mayo Result United Irish/French victory. Republic of Connacht declared.
Belligerents
United Irishmen France	Great Britain
Commanders and leaders
Jean Humbert	Gerard Lake
Strength
2,000	6,000
Casualties and losses
150 dead and wounded	80 dead, 270 wounded, captured or deserted

The Battle of Castlebar occurred on 27 August 1798 near the town of Castlebar, County Mayo, during the Irish Rebellion of that year. A combined force of 2,000 French troops and Irish rebels routed a force of 6,000 British militia in what would later become known as the "Castlebar Races" or "Races of Castlebar".

The long-awaited French landing to assist the Irish revolution begun by Theobald Wolfe Tone's Society of United Irishmen had taken place five days previously on 22 August, when almost 1,100 troops under the command of General Jean Joseph Amable Humbert landed at Cill Chuimín Strand, County Mayo. Although the force was small, the remote location ensured an unopposed landing away from the tens of thousands of British soldiers concentrated in the east in Leinster, engaged in mopping up operations against remaining pockets of insurgents there. The nearby town of Killala was quickly captured after a brief resistance by local yeomen. Just south, Ballina was taken two days later following the rout of a force of cavalry sent from the town to oppose the Franco-Irish march. Following the news of the French landing, Irish volunteers began to trickle into the French camp from all over Mayo.

The Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, Lord Cornwallis, requested urgent reinforcements from England but in the interim all available forces were concentrated at Castlebar under the command of General Gerard Lake, the victor of the Battle of Vinegar Hill. The build-up of the British forces at Castlebar had reached 6,000 militia soldiers with dozens of artillery pieces and huge of supplies by dawn of 27 August.

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