Battle of Áth an Chip

Battle of Áth-an-Chip
Part of Norman invasion of Ireland

Norman illustration from Bayeux Tapestry
Date1270
LocationAt "Magh Nissi", now Drumhierney, Leitrim Village, County Leitrim, Ireland
Result Ó Conchobair victory
Belligerents
Kingdom of Connacht

Lordship of Ireland

Earl of Ulster
Commanders and leaders
Aedh mac Felim Ó Conchobair Robert d'Ufford, Walter de Burgh
Strength
unknown unknown
Casualties and losses
unknown unknown

The Battle of Áth-an-Chip was a battle fought in 1270 between armies of the Kingdoms of Connacht and England at county Leitrim in Ireland. The result was a decisive Irish victory.[1] The battle site was at Drumhierney townland at Leitrim village, the "Ath an Chip" river crossing being now named "Battle bridge".

Background

Fedlimid Ó Conchobair was King of Connacht during the Norman invasion of Ireland. He initially attempted to arrest the expansion of Norman settlements in Connacht he eventually capitulated to King Henry II. His son, Aedh mac Felim Ua Conchobair, did not favor the diplomatic approach. Even during his father's reign Aedh conducted raids on Norman settlements. In 1249 he ambushed Piers de Bermingham, who at the time held the wardship of the de Burgh lands. This ambush led to all out war and resulted in Fedlimid being deposed.[2] He regained his throne in 1250, but was much weaker as a result.

Battle

Aedh became king after his father's death in 1265.[2] He continued to raid settled lands in his kingdom. In 1269 Robert d'Ufford, the new justiciar in Ireland, began building a royal castle in Roscommon. D'Ufford sent his deputy across the River Shannon to join his ally, Walter de Burgh, 1st Earl of Ulster. The combined forces met with Aedh to negotiate, but to no avail. The forces under de Burgh retreated and attempted to forde the Shannon at Áth-an-Chip. Aedh routed the army and destroyed the castle at Roscommon.

Aftermath

The Death of de Burgh in 1271 ended all effective resistance to Aedh's rule in Connacht. Aedh continued to raid as far east as Granard and even burnt Athlone, destroying the bridge there. The raiding came to an end with Aehd's sudden death on 3 May 1274.[2] The Kingdom of Connacht became embroiled in Civil War with thirteen kings during the period between 1274 and 1315.[2] This instability left Connacht vulnerable to Norman settlement.

Battle site

Drumhierney: probable "Ath-an-Chip" battle-site

Without certainty the battle-site was Drumhierney townland in county Leitrim. The Irish Annals describe the Anglo-Normans crossing Ath-Cara-Conaill ("Carrick-on-Shannon") before marching onward to Ath-an-Chip.[3] Places named "Athnakip" (Irish: Áth na gCeap and Irish: Áth Cip) were fords built from "stocks or trunks of trees".[4][5]

Therefore Ath-an-Chip was a ford on the River Shannon. At Leitrim village the R284 road crosses the Shannon at "Battle-bridge" (Irish: Béal Átha an Chatha, "the ford/mouth of the battle").[6][7] The townland at this bridge is Drumhierney (Irish: Droim Thiarnaigh, meaning the ridge of the "master", "lord", or "the domination".[n 1]

Connellan states "Moy-Nisse was a district along the Shannon in the county of Leitrim, near Carrick-on-Shannon; and the events here narrated occurred about that place".[3] Moynish was the gaelic place name for the flat, unforested part, of medieval barony of Leitrim bordering the shannon.[9] MacNamee states "where Ath an Chip was is not certain; to the present writer the evidence would seem to point to Battle Bridge".[10][11]


See also

References and notes

Notes

  1. ↑ "Tiarnaigh" means literally Rule (do, over), or dominate.[8]. See wikt:tiarnaigh and Tierney.

Primary sources

  1. ↑ Mac Annaidh, S., ed. (2001). Illustrated Dictionary of Irish History. Dublin: Gill and Macmillan.
  2. 1 2 3 4 Cosgrove, Art, ed. (2008). A new history of Ireland (1. publ. in paperb. ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 249. ISBN 9780199539703.
  3. 1 2 Connellan 1846, pp. 87.
  4. ↑ logainm, pp. 27909.
  5. ↑ logainm, pp. 22479.
  6. ↑ logainm, pp. 110012.
  7. ↑ Duchas 1938, pp. 208.
  8. ↑ loganim, pp. 29352.
  9. ↑ Connellan 1846, pp. 87,n=1.
  10. ↑ loganim, pp. 110012, Archival records.
  11. ↑ MacNamee 1954, pp. 206.

Secondary sources

  • Connellan, Owen (1846). Philip MacDermott, ed. The Annals of Ireland, translated from the original Irish of the four masters. O'Clery, Michael, 1575-1643 (electronic resource, Free eBook from the Internet Archive ed.). Dublin: B Geraghty, s. Anglesea street.
  • Tobin (2013). "Carrick-on-Shannon Sewerage Improvement Scheme, Environmental Impact Statement: Chapter 4, Material Assets - Cultural Heritage" (PDF) (electronic document ed.). Environmental Impact Agency. pp. 163–197.
  • Logainm. "Áth na gCeap".
  • logainm. "Áth Cip".
  • logainm. "Béal Átha an Chatha".
  • "Local Place Names - Battlenrodge". Duchas. 1938.
  • logainm. "Droim Thiarnaigh ("Drumhierney")".
  • MacNamee, James Joseph (1954). History of the Diocese of Ardagh. Dublin: Browne and Nolan.

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