Battle of Julianstown

The Battle of Julianstown was fought on 27 November 1641 near Julianstown in County Louth during the Irish Rebellion of 1641. A force sent by the Dublin government to reinforce the garrison of Drogheda was ambushed by Irish rebels and nearly destroyed.

Background

At the beginning of the Irish Rebellion in October 1641, the rebels over ran most of Ulster before moving south towards Dublin. On 21 November, they besieged Drogheda and the Dublin government assembled reinforcements to support the garrison.

Battle

The relief force was hastily put together and its soldiers largely untrained, many being half-starved refugees from the north who had been pressed into service.

On the morning of the battle, the rebels became aware of the approach of the government troops and prepared an ambush. When they sprang their trap, Wemyss mistakenly ordered his men to “countermarch” which caused them to move backwards as if they were retreating. The rebels took full advantage of the situation and immediately charged, causing panic and confusion among their opponents, many of whom threw down their weapons and attempted to escape. Although the cavalry entered Drogheda along with three companies of infantry, the rest were killed or captured.