Battle of Skerries

The Battle of Skerries, also named the Battle of Ardscull, was a battle in the Irish Bruce Wars 1315-1318 – part of the First War of Scottish Independence – fought on 26 January 1316, resulting in a Scottish victory. It was part of the Irish campaign of Edward Bruce, brother of Robert Bruce, king of Scotland. The site of the battle was Skerries near Ardclough in County Kildare.

The battle

Edward Bruce, earl of Carrick, had landed in Ireland in May the year before, and been proclaimed king of the island in June, which the Irish population saw as a postitve thing since Bruce's goal was to remove the English. Bruce continued on his march south, before again encountering the government forces in January.Citation|last=Duncan|first=A.A.M|authorlink=|contribution=Bruce, Edward, earl of Carrick (c.1280–1318)|date=2004|title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|place=Oxford|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/3728|accessdate=2008-07-19] The Anglo-Irish forces, summoned by the justiciar of Ireland, consisted of men such as John and Maurice FitzThomas, Thomas FitzJohn, John and Arnold Poer, Maurice de Rocheford and Miles and David de la Roche.cite book|last=Haines|first=Roy Martin|title=King Edward II: Edward of Caernarfon, His Life, His Reign, and Its Aftermath|publisher=McGill-Queen's Press|date=2003|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=29IPHAaX_HAC&pg=PA293&vq=skerries&source=gbs_search_r&cad=0_1&sig=ACfU3U0CQ-OwHb1koVgIOi6u3SBDsMTxnQ|pages=pp. 290-3|isbn=0773524320] Though these forces heavily outnumbered those of Bruce, internal strife broke out in the Anglo-Irish ranks, a fact that Bruce could take advantage of. Though suffering heavy losses, the Scots held the battlefield, effectively winning the battle.

Aftermath

The official English account of the battle blamed unfortunate terrain and bad luck for the government forces' loss, not an entirely convincing explanation. The same account also claims that the Scots lost many of their greatest men, while their opponents only lost one man. After the battle the Scots withdrew to Leix, while the Anglo-Irish forces kept them under surveillance from nearby Castledermot, while their leader withdrew to Dublin. Here John Hotham, the king's envoy to Ireland, made a great effort to ensure the loyalty of the Irish nobles.Citation|last=Buck|first=M.C|authorlink=|contribution=Hotham, John (d. 1337)|date=2004|title=Oxford Dictionary of National Biography|publisher=Oxford University Press|place=Oxford|url=http://www.oxforddnb.com/view/article/13851|accessdate=2008-07-19] By May, however, Bruce had returned to his safe base in Ulster, while Hotham had returned to his new position in England as Bishop of Ely.

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