Before the Wild Geese flew away: Two sieges of Athlone during the Williamite War in Ireland. Part 2: The fall (1691)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/tes.11201Keywords:
Ireland, Williamite War in Ireland (1689–1691), Athlone, Jacobites, military art of war, fortress, siegeAbstract
The two defences of Athlone during the Williamite War in Ireland of 1689–1691 were the turning points of that conflict. The first one, in 1690, stopped the offensive of Williamites, when after their victory in the Battle of the Boyne and capture of Dublin they seemed about to conquer the entire Ireland within weeks. Pushing Williamites away at Athlone made it possible to consolidate a defensive line along the Shannon River and bolstered the morale of Jacobites, which in turn led to the successful defence of Limerick. A year later, the tables had turned. That time the capture of Athlone allowed Williamites to first attack Connacht — the last Irish province they had yet to occupy and the supply base of the Jacobite army — and then three isolated points of resistance on the west coast. Therefore, the fall of Athlone in 1691 heralded the imminent end of the war for the preservation of the Irish throne of James Stuart.
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