Siege of Limerick (1650–1651)
52°40′11″N 8°37′32″W / 52.669722°N 8.625556°W
| Siege of Limerick | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Part of the Cromwellian Conquest of Ireland | |||||||
Henry Ireton. The English Parliamentarian commander who besieged Limerick in 1651 | |||||||
| |||||||
| Belligerents | |||||||
|
Irish Confederates Royalists | Parliamentarians | ||||||
| Commanders and leaders | |||||||
| Hugh O'Neill |
Henry Ireton # Hardress Waller | ||||||
| Strength | |||||||
| 2,000 |
8,000 soldiers 28 siege guns 4 mortars | ||||||
| Casualties and losses | |||||||
| 700 soldiers killed | 2,000 killed | ||||||
| 5,000 civilians killed | |||||||
Limerick, in western Ireland was the scene of two sieges during the Irish Confederate Wars. The second and largest of these took place during the Cromwellian conquest of Ireland in 1650–51. Limerick was one of the last fortified cities held by an alliance of Irish Confederates and Royalists against the forces of the English Parliament. Its garrison, led by Hugh Dubh O'Neill, surrendered to Henry Ireton after a protracted and bitter siege. Over 2,000 soldiers of Cromwell's New Model Army were killed at Limerick, and Henry Ireton, Cromwell's son-in-law, died of plague.