Battlefields›Battle of Antrim
rebellion

Battle of Antrim

1798
Antrim, Northern Ireland
Also known as: Battle of Antrim Town 1798
Era
rebellion
Battle Type
Pitched Battle
Location
Antrim, Northern Ireland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
United Irishmen (Henry Joy McCracken)
Forces
United Irishmen c.3,000–4,000 under Henry Joy McCracken (from approximately 10,000 assembled at Donegore Hill); 7 June 1798
VS
Victor
British Crown forces
Forces
Crown: c.200 yeomanry and cavalry under Lt-Col Lumley, reinforced from Belfast and Lisburn
Outcome
McCracken attacked Antrim town on 7 June 1798. Rebels initially drove the garrison back and temporarily captured parts of the town, but British reinforcements arrived quickly and counter-attacked. The United Irishmen were repulsed within 2–3 hours. The county governor, Viscount O'Neill, was fatally wounded by rebels. McCracken's forces dispersed; he was subsequently captured and executed on 17 July.
The Battle

History & Significance

The Battle of Antrim was the main United Irish engagement in County Antrim and the most serious direct challenge to British control of Ulster in 1798. Despite rallying nearly 10,000 rebels at Donegore Hill, mass arrests of the leadership had crippled the organisation and only a fraction reached the battle. The fight in Antrim's streets — including the castle demesne — was fierce before Crown reinforcements turned the tide. Viscount O'Neill's death as a loyalist casualty is the highest-ranking government fatality of the Ulster rebellion. Henry Joy McCracken's execution ended the rebellion in Antrim. The battle is richly documented in contemporary accounts and commemorated in Antrim town.

Casualties & Losses

Government: Viscount O'Neill (county governor) fatally wounded; United Irish: several hundred killed, precise figures disputed

Questions & Answers

Frequently Asked Questions

Protected heritage nearby

Scheduled Monuments near Battle of Antrim

Mound - motte?
Scheduled monument · MEDIEVAL · ~0.4 miles
Antrim castle. c17th castle
Scheduled monument · POST-MED · ~0.5 miles
Motte
Scheduled monument · MEDIEVAL · ~0.5 miles
Bastion
Scheduled monument · POST-MED · ~0.6 miles
Shane's castle (ruins). tower-house & later buildings
Scheduled monument · MEDIEVAL · ~1.5 miles
More from this era

Other rebellion Battles

Battle of Saintfield
1798
Down, Northern Ireland
Battle of Ballynahinch
1798
Down, Northern Ireland
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