BattlefieldsBattle of Bellahoe
Tudor

Battle of Bellahoe

1539
Monaghan, Ireland
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Monaghan, Ireland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
Lord Deputy Leonard Grey
Forces
Grey's army c.400–800.
VS
Victor
O'Neill and O'Donnell (Ulster)
Forces
O'Neill & O'Donnell c.800–1,500
Outcome
Ulster Irish inflict costly defeat on English forces
The Battle

History & Significance

A rare English setback in the Tudor subjugation of Ireland. The O'Neill and O'Donnell forces ambushed Grey's army in boggy terrain near the Ulster border. Grey was later recalled and executed for treason. Demonstrated Ulster's capacity to resist Tudor power — a foretaste of the Nine Years War sixty years later.

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Aubrey Research

Explore the landscape around Monaghan

Aubrey generates in-depth historical research for any location in Britain — drawing on Domesday records, scheduled monuments, Victorian OS maps, geological data and archaeological archives to tell the full story of a place.

Research a location near Monaghan