This article is a list of the participants, both civilian and military, of the Nine Years' War in Ireland. The war was fought in the late 16th and early 17th century and was a conflict between a coalition of Irish lords and their Spanish allies against the English and their authorities in Ireland. In order to be listed here an individual must have a historical record of their conduct, position or any role they played in the war during the years 1593–1603.
Confederacy of Irish lords Beginning with the alliance between Tyrone and Tyrconnell in 1593, most of the Irish kingdoms and lordships gradually assembled, either voluntarily or through coercion, into a loose confederation whose aim was to expunge English rule in Ireland once and for all. Although the motives of Hugh O'Neill, the symbolic leader of the Irish during the conflict, are still debated,Morgan, pp. 1-15 a return to the Gaelic order and the disbandment of English institutions in Ireland was a paramount objective for not only O'Neill, but his allies as well.
Gaelic lords
Tyrone Hugh O'Neill was the Earl of Tyrone and the effective leader of the Irish forces, both diplomatically and militarily, to such a degree that the war is often referred to as Tyrone's Rebellion. While it took until February 1595 for O'Neill to declare open rebellion, he had been laying down the foundations for war for some years. This included his alliance to the once hostile Tyrconnell, which capitalized on the unified strength of Ulster, his military reforms which introduced modern tactics and muskets to Gaelic-Irish warfare for the first time, and his correspondence with Philip II, which brought vital Spanish financial and military support to Ireland. Cormac MacBaron O'Neill was Hugh's younger brother. He was initially a stalking horse of sorts, having led forces against the English before Tyrone was formally at war. He assisted Hugh Maguire in the Siege of Enniskillen and the Battle of the Ford of the Biscuits in 1594, victories which shocked the Dublin administration. His relationship with Hugh was frayed by the war, but he remained loyal throughout, even when living in the woods following the Burning of Dungannon. However, due to their falling out, he did not travel with Hugh to Spain in 1607.
Tyrconnell
Hugh Roe O'Donnell was the King of Tyrconnell and the most prominent commander of Irish forces in the war. He had been in conflict with the English since his escape from Dublin Castle in 1592. A master of cavalry raids, his punitive assaults against Turlough Luineach collapsed the latter's lordship, allowing Hugh O'Neill to take power. Having successfully taken Sligo in June 1595, his access to Connacht was left unimpeded and his control of the province became so absolute that Governor Clifford referred to it as O'Donnell's Commonwealth. He is noted by both Irish and English historical sources for his great charisma and leadership. His death in 1602 was followed swiftly by Tyrconnell's withdrawal from the war. Rory O'Donnell was left in charge of Tyrconnell for the duration of his brother's expedition to Spain in January 1602, and became king following the latter's death in September of that year. He inherited a largely hopeless situation and, despite his best efforts, failed to revive the rebellion. He surrendered at Mellifont and travelled alongside Hugh O'Neill to seek a pardon from King James I in March 1603.
Fermanagh Hugh Maguire was the Lord of Fermanagh and one of the confederation's chief tacticians. He spearheaded vital victories in the early stages of the war, namely at Enniskillen and Ford of the Biscuits. He also led the victorious cavalry units at Yellow Ford and Clontibret. As the war expanded in scope he commanded the Irish cavalry in Leinster and Munster, wresting much of the country from the English. He was intercepted in Cork by Warham St. Leger in March 1600 and, despite killing St Leger, died from his wounds shortly afterwards. Cuchonnacht Maguire succeeded his half-brother Hugh in 1600. A succession crisis erupted immediately after Hugh's death as the English threw financial support behind a rival claimant, Connor Roe. Infighting claimed the lives of over 200 people in Fermanagh before O'Donnell finally stepped in to quell the bloodshed. He played a much less prominent role in the war and left Ireland in 1607.
O'Sullivan Beara Donal Cam O'Sullivan Beare was the head of the O'Sullivan sept and the Prince of Beare in southwestern Munster. He initially kept his distance from the Ulster lords, but eventual joined the war and tasked himself with securing the southern coast for a Spanish landing. Following Kinsale, George Carew was particularly vicious towards O'Sullivan's kingdom and carried out a number of atrocities against its people, forcing O'Sullivan and 1,000 men, women and children to embark on an infamous 500 km long march in the depths of winter to seek refuge from his ally in West Breifne. By the time they arrived only 35 of their party had survived.
West Breifne Brian Óg O'Rourke was King of West Breifne and one of the confederation's foremost commanders. He was Ireland's most intractable lord, having been in continuous rebellion against the English from January 1590 to April 1603. His plundering of Sligo in May 1593 was a precursor to the war and despite being one of Ireland's poorest lordships, West Breifne, under Brian Óg, contributed disproportionately to the war effort, including their decisive victory over England at Curlew Pass. He was the last Gaelic lord to be toppled on 25 April 1603, almost a month after the others had surrendered. Teigue O'Rourke was Brian Óg's half-brother and a rival claimant to the kingship of West Breifne. He lived in exile in Tyrconnell and was a close ally of O'Donnell, whose sister he married in 1599. Despite being in frequent contact with the English, he was a committed member of the Gaelic alliance until Kinsale. While Brian Óg and O'Donnell were at Kinsale, and it became obvious that their defeat was imminent, he finally defected to the English in late 1601.
Umhaill Grace O'Malley, Queen of Umhaill, and much of her clan actively assisted the Gaelic cause, although they remained officially neutral. The O'Malleys never ceased their piracy of English ships during the war and on several occasions were blatantly acting against them, such as the five O'Malley ships stationed in the Shannon Estuary that delivered supplies to the Irish whilst preventing the English from crossing in 1599. Curiously, her son Tibbot na Long was a staunch loyalist throughout the war.
East Breifne Pilib O'Reilly was proclaimed King of East Breifne by Hugh O'Neill following his brother's death in 1596. East Breifne had been a vassal of Tyrone until the 1530s, and Pilib achieved great acclaim for the successful defence of the kingdom against an invasion by Tyrone in 1580–81. He submitted to Hugh but still harboured great antipathy towards the O'Neills. He ruled for mere weeks before his suspicious death, when he was accidentally shot and killed by a stray musket bullet fired by one of O'Neill's soldiers. Emon O'Reilly was inaugurated as king of East Breifne by O'Neill in October 1596, after Pilib's death. The 90 year old tánaiste had seen great change occur within his kingdom due to English incursions in the latter half of the 16th century. He served as an MP in the Irish House of Commons but had a well documented affinity for Tyrone and Irish tradition, and remained committed to the rebellion until his death in 1601, although was not able to contribute much. Eoghan O'Reilly served as acting King of East Breifne from 1601 to 1603. He was tasked with causing disruption along the frontier with Dublin and Meath in order to divert English resources away from the battle at Kinsale. He evidently failed in this regard as O'Neill was reported to be very angry at his inactivity during the battle. Brian Bán McKiernan was the Mág Tighearnán chief of Tullyhunco. He allowed O'Donnell to camp in his territory following raids into Connacht and assisted the rebels against his O'Reilly overlords and their English allies in Cavan, before their capitulation at the hands of O'Neill in late 1595. In June 1602 he was granted a pardon for fighting against the Queen's forces.
Clann Uí Bhroin Fiach McHugh O'Byrne was chief of the O'Byrne clan in Wicklow. Fiach had achieved acclaim for his defeat of the English at Glenmalure in 1580 during the Second Desmond Rebellion, and aided in the escape of Hugh O'Donnell from Dublin castle in 1592. Although he was not initially involved in the war, the English proclaimed him a traitor in 1594 and led campaigns into Wicklow against him. Despite obtaining a pardon from Lord Deputy Russell, the elderly and ailing O'Byrne was captured and executed in May 1597. Felim McFiach O'Byrne succeeded his father as chief of the O'Byrnes, and despite remaining a nominal threat, the clan never regained a solid footing against the English in Wicklow. He submitted to Elizabeth in 1600 and withdrew from the war.
Loígis Brian Riabhach O'More was a nobleman from Loígis who fought against the English in Leinster. The O'Mores had been expelled from much of Loígis four decades prior, as it was the first place in Ireland to be planted by the English in 1556.
MacCarthy Mór Florence MacCarthy was the most prominent member of the MacCarthy dynasty which controlled much of southwest Munster. His kingdom had been fractured by the Desmond rebellions and he sought to restore himself as the chief of MacCarthy Mór with O'Neill's assistance. He agreed to provide the landing Spanish soldiers with food and refuge for their battles against the English. The size of the kingdom proved a problem during Kinsale, as Spanish soldiers were spread thin across the vast southwest coast in MacCarthy's castles and forts, leaving them not readily available for pitched battles
Anglo-Irish lords Desmond James FitzThomas FitzGerald, known as the Súgán Earl of Desmond joined the rebellion in 1598 at the request of O'Neill and rallied his countrymen to re-establish Desmond, which had been dismantled 2 years prior following the Desmond Rebellions of the late 1500s. This dramatically expanded the scope of the war, as Munster fell to the Irish lords. He initially commanded an army 8,000 strong which he directed at his family's traditional foe, the Butlers of Ormonde, to address historical grievances. After suffering a heavy defeat near Kilmallock in October 1600 his forces never recovered. He went into hiding in May 1601 but was captured later that month. John FitzThomas FitzGerald was James' brother who rebelled alongside him. According to 19th century historian C.B. Gibson, John was "the prime instigator of it [the rebellion]". Following his brother's downfall, he evaded capture and fled to Kilkenny and from there onto Spain in 1603, where he was conferred the title "Conde de Desmond".
Fartullagh Richard Tyrrell was the Lord of Fartullagh in Westmeath and a close friend of Hugh O'Neill. He was made commander of the Irish forces in Leinster in 1594, during which time he recorded a string of victories against the Crown, most notably at Tyrrellspass where his forces killed 1,000 English soldiers – the area now bears his name as a result. Following Desmond's entry into the war in 1598, Tyrrell was made Colonel General of Munster and he fought until Mellifont in 1603.
Lower Mac William Tibbot MacWalter Kittagh Bourke was appointed chief of Mac William Íochtar in 1595 following O'Donnell's conquest of the territory. Despite immense internal pushback against his rule, primarily by his arch-rival, the loyalist Tibbot ne Long Bourke, he remained in effective control of Mayo for most of the war years. He agreed to assassinate O'Donnell in exchange for payment and recognition as the Earl of Mayo, however English money was not forthcoming and he therefore never carried out the deed.
Clanricarde