Battle of Collooney

Battle of Collooney / Carricknagat
Part of the United Irishmen Rebellion
The monument commemorating the battle.
Date 5 September 1798 Location Collooney, County Sligo Result United Irish/French victory
Belligerents
United Irishmen French First Republic	British Army
Commanders and leaders
Jean Humbert	Sir Gerard Lake Charles Vereker
Strength
2,000–3,000	~500
Casualties and losses
50 dead and wounded	60 dead, 100 captured

The Battle of Collooney refers to a battle which occurred on 5 September during the Irish Rebellion of 1798 when a combined force of French troops and Irish rebels defeated a force of British troops outside of Collooney near Sligo Town. It is also known as the Battle of Carricknagat.

A long-anticipated French landing to assist the Irish rebellion had taken place on 22 August, when almost 1,100 troops under the command of General Humbert landed at Cill Chuimín Strand (Kilcummin), Killala Bay, 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 rebels. The nearby town of Killala was quickly captured after a brief resistance by local yeomen and Ballina was also taken two days later, following the rout of a force of cavalry sent from the town to oppose their march. Irish volunteers began to trickle into the French camp from all over Mayo following the news of the French landing.

The victory of General Humbert at Castlebar, despite gaining him c. 5,000 Irish recruits, had not led to a renewed outbreak of the rebellion as hoped. A massive British army of some 26,000 men was assembled under Field Marshal Lord Cornwallis, the newly appointed Lord Lieutenant of Ireland, and was steadily moving towards his forces. Abandoning Castlebar, Humbert moved towards Ulster via Sligo with the intention of igniting a rising there.

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Wikipedia