BattlefieldsShane O'Neill's Raid toward the Scottish Border, 1565
Tudor

Shane O'Neill's Raid toward the Scottish Border, 1565

1565
Tyrone, northern_ireland
Era
Tudor
Battle Type
Raid
Location
Tyrone, northern_ireland
Status
Unregistered
The Combatants

Who Fought

Defeated
MacDonnell Scots (Antrim/Route and Glens settlers) and, indirectly, English interests
VS
Victor
Shane O'Neill (temporarily)
Outcome
Shane O'Neill's forces routed the Antrim MacDonnells at the Battle of Glentaisie/Ballycastle (2 May 1565), killing James MacDonnell and capturing Sorley Boy MacDonnell, effectively breaking MacDonnell power in Antrim; rumours that O'Neill was in correspondence with Mary, Queen of Scots alarmed the English council, and Sir Henry Sidney remarked that 'Lucifer himself was not more puffed up with pride and ambition than O'Neill.'
The Battle

History & Significance

Shane O'Neill's Raid toward the Scottish Border, 1565 was a raid of the Tudor period, fought in Tyrone, northern_ireland in 1565. This engagement forms part of the broader pattern of conflict that shaped the political and military history of the UK during this era.

Exact site not recorded. The location of this engagement is not established in the surviving sources.
Casualties & Losses

Sources describe the MacDonnells as 'almost annihilated' at Ballycastle/Glentaisie, with 'many of Sorley's men slain'; one secondary account gives over 700 MacDonnell dead including two of Sorley Boy's brothers, but exact contemporary figures are not established.

Forces Involved

not recorded

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