Read about Fethard, a Norman fortified market town. Read about the castle lifestyle of medieval Ireland. Read About Related Ireland History Topicsįind out about the weapons used by the Irish at the time of the Norman invasion of 1169. A gallowglass was usually accompanied into battle by two young assistants, one to carry his various weapons and the other to carry his food. They had their own distinctive dress code, sometimes having plate armour on just one of their arms. They also wore long ring-mail shirts and sometimes plate armour over quilted garments. They were ruthlessly efficient with them all. Their weaponry also included small bows, long spears and lethal throwing darts for close quarter fighting targeting their enemies’ unprotected eyes, arteries or other vulnerable areas. The gallowglasses did not believe in doing anything in half measures! These long swords were known as ‘Claymore’ (see photo above), derived from the Gaelic word ‘Claiomh Mor, which means ‘big sword’. In addition to their double-sided axes, they also liked to use massive double- handed swords, about five feet in length. The most famous families of Galloglaigh were the MacSweeney’s and the MacDonnells, MacCabes and MacLeods. Galloglaigh did not farm or do any work other than martial training and doing what they did best –fighting to the death! The responsibility of feeding and housing them and their families usually fell on the shoulders of the Lord’s or chieftains subjects.Īllegiance to their employer Chieftains or lords was usually hereditary in nature, although many of the Gallowglass clans were inter-related and would happily fight against their relatives when called upon. It is said that of the nine battalions of Galloglaigh who fought at Knockdoe, only one much reduced company survived. By the time of the infamous battle of Knockdoe (1504) they had settled all over Ireland, and were highly valued soldiers in the constant feuds that took place between both rival Hiberno-Norman lords and Gaelic chieftains alike.Īt the battle of Knockdoe thousands of gallowglasses fought and died on both sides during this bloodiest battle in medieval Ireland. In return for their services they were granted large tracts of land and over time became a part of the hereditary nobility of Ireland.
Renowned for their ferocity and bravery, their custom was to always fight to the death rather than withdraw when facing superior opposition.
Gallowglasses became firmly established in Irish culture and any self-respecting Lord or chieftain would have his own contingent of these mercenaries to call upon.By the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries galloglaigh were settled all over Ireland and were in the service of both the Anglo-Norman nobility and the Gaelic chiefs of Munster and Leinster.In the beginning they were recruited by the Gaelic Chieftains of Ulster and North Connaught in the thirteenth century, to work as body guards and to bolster resistance against the expansion of Anglo-Norman settlements.
#Battle axe warriors mac
They were part of the wedding dowry of the daughter of the Hebridean leader Dugald Mac Sorley, when she married Aedh O’Connor, a Gaelic nobleman of Connaught. One of the first Gallowglass bands came to Ireland in 1259.
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