Siege of Enniskillen (1594)

Siege of Enniskillen

Date	June 1594 - May 1595
Location	Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, Ireland
Result	Rebel victory.

Belligerents

Kingdom of Ireland

Maguire's rebels

Commanders and leaders

Hugh Maguire
Hugh Roe O'Donnell

Strength

30-40

Several thousand

Casualties and losses

Entire garrison is killed

Unknown

The Siege of Enniskillen took place at Enniskillen in County Fermanagh, Ireland when a rebel force under Hugh Maguire, laid siege to the royal garrison of Enniskillen. Although the garrison was able to hold out for a lengthy period, the besiegers were ultimately successful and massacred the defenders once they captured them. It marked the beginning of Tyrone's Rebellion, which was to last until 1603.

Hugh Maguire, the Gaelic lord of Enniskillen, had objected to the behaviour of the newly appointed Crown sheriff Humphrey Willis. In 1593 Maguire expelled Willis and began launching raids into neighbouring territories, in which his followers plundered and caused great destruction. The Crown responded by dispatching an Irish Army force under Sir Henry Bagenal and the Gaelic leader Hugh O'Neill, Earl of Tyrone who defeated Maguire's men at the Battle of the Erne Fords. In February 1594 forces Captain John Dowdall captured Enniskillen after a nine-day siege. A royal garrison was left in place.

In June 1594, now acting with the covert support of Tyrone, Hugh Maguire laid siege to Enniskillen which was now isolated in hostile country. Maguire's forces grew rapidly with support arriving from other northern leaders such as Hugh Roe O'Donnell and Cormac MacBaron O'Neill. Maguire and his allies were able to defeat a government relief force for Enniskillen at the Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits. Nonetheless, a second relief force commanded by the Lord Deputy William Russell was able to successfully relieve the beleaguered garrison by 30 August. He put fresh supplies in and then withdrew.

In May 1595 the garrison agreed to surrender Enniskillen in exchange for their lives. However the entire garrison was then massacred.

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